Silver Service
by Fire Kitten
Summary: After being temporarily demoted from cook to waiter at the college hotspot Diable Jambe, Sanji is certain the next three weeks are going to be the absolute worst of his life. Instead, he finds his one true love! But Sanji might just have to take off his rose-colored glasses this time, because the gorgeous and cutely shy Usopp is not quite as perfect as he appears...
1. Day 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Piece

Hey there readers and welcome to Silver Service! This is a multi-chapter fanfic that plot-bunnied due to a tumblr post I had come across ages ago and sparked me into writing. Unfortunately, I got stuck at some point due to not being sure how to work the timeline; but recently I revisited the story and figured it out.

As it stands, seven chapters are fully finished and the eighth is nearly done. The overall chapter count is going to be about twenty or so. With the general outline written, I know how the basic plot is going to go and can continue writing and get updates to be fairly regular. Or hopefully at least!

For now, enjoy the first chapter (more of a prologue really) everyone!

* * *

_Day 1, Tuesday_

"Hey, stop lingering around the kitchen! Table 15 is waiting for you, Sanji!"

The once-chef known as Sanji actually cringed at those words, but he was quick to spin around and pull a smile for his supervisor, "Going." As he walked past Ganzo, he had to fight the automatic instinct of shoving his boot in the man's face.

_Maybe, _he thought, _my first customers will be a table full of lovely ladies._

But as he turned the corner into the dining area, he was quickly disappointed to find it was not a table of long-legged, voluptuous women but a lone, dark-skinned guy who seemed to of made himself quite comfortable already. There was a notebook and some kind of textbook on the table; not that this was surprising to Sanji, since Diable Jambe (or DB as most people commonly called it) was a fairly big hotspot for college students as the university was only a block away.

The guy was turned away from him when he approached, mumbling to himself as he dug through his bag that he had set in the seat beside him. Sanji waited about twenty seconds, tapping his pencil against his notepad. But, when he continued to go unnoticed, he cleared he throat irritably and said, "Can I take your order?"

The student jerked in surprise at the voice, looking up.

Sanji almost dropped his pencil. _Wow._

"Oh, u-uh, I haven't even looked at the menu."

It took a few seconds for his reeling brain to catch up to his mouth, but luckily the right response spilled out. "Do you need a minute?"

"Oh, no, I'll uh-" The dark-skinned male fumbled about, trying to pull the menu out from underneath the heavy textbook. Sanji couldn't help but glance and noted it was an art book. It thumped softly as the menu came free. "Ummmm, I'll just have coffee."

"Coffee… right." Sanji mumbled, scribbling it down but hardly looking so that the word slanted across three lines. "I'll bring it right out."

The man smiled slightly. "Thanks."

Sanji retreated, pocketing the checkbook and nearly sprinting for the refreshments area. He was back out in no less than two minutes.

By then the mystery man already had found what he was looking for: a set of drawing pencils in a little case that was decorated with, curiously enough, armadillos. He already had one of the thin-tipped tools in his hand, idly flipping it between his fingers, eyes stuck to the page he was reading.

Sanji set the creamer dish and coffee cup down, filling it with the carafe. And with his job done, he knew he should just quietly scamper away and leave the other to his work; nevertheless, he couldn't help but be compelled to speak. "Are you sure this is all?"

"Mmm yeah this is fine."

_Why? Order something, anything. I'll make it myself. It'll be the best thing you've ever tasted_! Sanji irrationally wanted to argue – even if he could not, in fact, do so. Cook, that is. Instead he just swallowed down the disappointment that strangely had nothing to do with the dollar tip he was going to get and said, "Well, if you change your mind feel free to wave me down."

He was pleasantly, knee-meltingly surprised when the student caught his spinning pencil, glancing up at him then. "A-Actually… this is going to be kind of weird but, can I ask you a different sort of favor?"

Sanji didn't even think. "Of course."

"Okay well, do you guys have any of that uhh… uh that green leafy stuff you put on plates to make it look nice?"

"Parsley." He supplied. "And yeah we have some, why?"

"Well, could I like… borrow some? Like a leaf or something?" Sanji wasn't able to hide his befuddlement, because the other started to flush and even with his dark complexion he could see it. "B-Because, okay see, I have to do this art project where we have to glue a physical item somewhere onto the page and then draw around it basically but at the same time keep it part of the picture. And well I-" He nibbled on his lip nervously, seeming to withdraw some as looked down at the tabletop. "You know what, this is silly. I-I'm not even ordering any food, how can I ask – just, never mind."

"No," The temporary waiter shook his head. "That's fine I can bring you some."

The customer glanced up. He was adorably shy. "R-Really? It's okay?"

"Sure." It probably wasn't. Sanji didn't give a shit. "Does it matter what kind? Like the size or anything?"

"No, anything's perfect. Well, as long as it's not bigger than the page that is." He chuckled and it was a nice sound. But even better was the way he looked up at him and grinned. "Thank you so much!"

Sanji had to wonder how his voice was so calm when everything inside of him was practically trembling. "It's no trouble at all." Sneaking into the kitchen took a little work, but he managed to rip off a sprig of parsley and return to the table without anyone the wiser. He presented it like it was a flower. "How's this?"

"Perfect!" The other chirped, sounding utterly pleased as he took the small plant. "I can't thank you enough. You're really helping me out you know."

He smiled as charmingly as he could manage, what with his stomach doing little flips every time this guy spoke. "It was nothing. I'll be around if you need anything else."

Sanji kept a close eye on the student for the rest of the night; luckily, he seemed so absorbed that he didn't even notice the staring eyes. For the better part of an hour, he watched the other push the little plant all over the page, often sketching something before immediately erasing whatever he was trying to draw. Sometimes he would lift the parsley up, whirling the stem between his fingers or he would chew at the end of his pencil, glaring hard down at his notebook as if willing whatever inspiration he was waiting for to just draw itself.

"How's it coming along?" Sanji asked softly when he refilled the coffee cup for the fourth time. There was an array of sugar packets and creamer containers on the table. It was no surprise, seeing as he had watched the other dump in no less than three sugars and two creams per cup. He really liked sweet things it seemed.

The student sighed, a little exasperated. "Nothing yet."

"Is it not good enough? I could get more." He quickly offered.

"No, no." He shook his head. "Then I'd just have to start over." He looked up at him, saying rather determinedly, "Don't worry, I'm going to draw something great, just you watch."

Unfortunately, Sanji didn't get the chance because as another half-hour pushed on the few customers he had been handling soon turned into a horde as the restaurant filled with the early dinner rush. After that, he could only spy at him from afar and visit the table once. He knew though, from one of his glimpses, just when the wait ended – he was unable to see his face, because a curtain of dark curls hid him from view, but the man's posture had changed, now bent over the table and pencil working furiously across the page.

And one minute he was there, drawing adamantly.

Then the next time Sanji looked, he was gone.

He approached Table 15 with a mournful sigh, starting to shovel the sugar packs and creamer cups into the coffee mug, when he noted the folded piece of green pinned under the saucer. He lifted the ceramic away delicately, only to find himself unable to breathe.

It wasn't because of the amount – a pleasantly stunning fifty dollars.

No, it was because of the little message written carefully along the corner edge of the bill:

_Thank you, Sanji_


	2. Day 2

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own One Piece

Wow, well let me start by saying thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, liked or simply read and enjoyed this story so far! It means a lot guys, really. Just as a general note for you all, I'm going to try to update this story weekly!

Here's the next installment for you all!

* * *

_Day 2, Wednesday_

When he went to work the next day, Sanji never even thought about getting to see that dark-haired beauty ever again. Meetings like that were like lunar eclipses: to see it is probably a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, so the lucky viewer could only hope to cherish it always.

Which was why he almost dropped the dishes he had just bussed when he heard Ganzo basically report there was something very wrong with their shitty solar system. "Table 7 Nami. He came here yesterday too. Apparently tipped Sanji a fifty for coffee of all things."

"_Fifty?!_" The orange-haired woman shouted, only to cover her mouth quickly and compose herself. "I mean, well, time to work hard!"

Sanji shoved the bucket of plates on the counter so hard he almost pushed another full container right in the sink as he chased after his fellow waiter. "Nami-darling, wait!"

"Huh?" She turned. "What is it Sanji? I need to hurry if I'm-"

He knew it was extremely rude to interrupt a woman, especially one that was also one of his long-standing friends, but shamefully his hope and excitement got the best of him as he cut in, "Please let me take Table 7!"

"_Whaaaat!?_"

He held up his hands, saying quickly before she could rightfully explode on him. "Of course, the money is yours Nami-dear! I won't touch a cent of whatever tip he gives me today. But please allow me to do the work for it."

"Why would you – oh." Her pretty forehead furrowed some, smart mind working it out fast as her eyes lit up in realization. She knew just how much he hated this demotion. "Ooooh. You have a _crush_ on him."

"I-I, well," He spluttered, unable to formulate an intelligent response to that.

Then he lost ability to speak altogether when Nami smiled and touched his face, saying charmingly, "Alright Sanji-kun, you may take Table 7. And seeing as I am doing you such a generous favor, I expect a little interest on that tip as well."

"Of course Nami-swan!" He swooned, but unsure if it was over her or the fact he had gotten his wish.

He hurried out into the dining area, eyes sweeping over the room and – _there!_ There he was, sitting with his chin in his hand and flipping idly through the menu. Unlike yesterday, he had drawn his curly hair back with a cute, yellow patterned bandanna that revealed the small silver loop in his left ear. Sanji couldn't tear his eyes away from the fascinating piece of jewelry, his brain kindly erasing any and all previous and presently irrelevant insults he had shot at a certain Marimo's choice of ear wear.

He drew himself up tall, smoothed out any wrinkles in his clothes, checked his hair to make sure it was properly parted and straightened his tie before crossing the room to the other. "You're back." He said, then immediately wished he had thought of something more suave to say.

"Oh, hey!" The other said as he looked up. Oh, look at that. Only the left side was pierced; _cute!_ And Sanji hoped that equally adorable look of delight was from the sight of him.

Seemingly to realize his reaction though, the other looked away nervously, rubbing the tip of his prominent long-nose. "Uh, heh, I was hoping you were working."

"Really?" Sanji said, leaning one hand on the table and smiling. "Need some more parsley?"

The other shook his head, chuckling bashfully. "No, no. I finished the project. But I promised I'd show you. I had to turn it in, but I took a picture for you." He rummaged around in his pocket before pulling out a cell phone, flipping open the top. It was an old model. "It's not the best quality, sorry, but – ah. Here it is."

He held out the device, fidgeting nervously as Sanji took it and the ego that was on his face yesterday when he boldly told him how great his work would be was absent now. But when he looked down at the picture, it was no second rate drawing he was looking at. The little bit of garnish, made of no more than three little leaves and a tiny stalk, had been placed at somewhat to the right center of the page, and around it spilled out what appeared to be an army racing into battle, if the armored men with their sharp javelins and other weapons and the charging horses were any indication. And in one of the soldier's hands he held a pole that at the end of it was a war flag in which the parsley had become the center piece.

"It's a fleur-de-lis." Sanji realized with a jolt of surprise.

"Yeah, heh… I have to thank you for that too." The student said, running his finger along the freckled design on the wooden table, adding shyly, "Your accent… it's French right?"

"Qui monsieur." He said, almost laughing outright when the other's blush burned all the way to his ear tips. He handed the phone back, saying, "It's an amazing piece. You're very talented."

"R-Really?" He fiddled with the phone. "Sorry. I really wanted to show you it in person but you were so busy and I had to get home to feed Merry. I was pretty late."

He said it casually, but inside he was burning with jealously. "Who's Merry?"

"Ah, my cat. She's real cute – wait! I have a picture." He pressed a couple buttons and then held out his phone again. On the screen was a long-haired, white cat curled up in what appeared to be a cardboard box. But what was most curious were the two brown patterns on her head that looked a lot like – "Heh, she's got spirals just like your eyebrows. Except hers look more like goat horns with the way they go over her head like that don't you think?"

Sanji nodded in agreement, handing back the phone. Before he could say anything more, he was nudged from behind. He looked back, seeing it was sweet, thoughtful Nami who only jerked her head in the direction where Ganzo was watching with a disapproving glare, before moving on to her own tables.

"Shit. I uh… I better take your order." Sanji said.

"O-Oh!" The other's eyes widened with horror as he started jabbering, panicked, "Oh. Oh god, am I getting you in trouble? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm being such a bother aren't I-"

"Hey, hey. Calm down." He insisted, a little taken aback by the sudden slew of apology. "Tch, my shitty supervisor's just had it out for me lately. It has nothing to do with you; hell, talking with you is practically the best part of my day!"

The dark-skinned male seemed to freeze for a moment, staring up at him in disbelief. "You really mean that?"

"Hey, lying's not my style." Something about that made the student flinch some, but he tried not to think too much about it. "I'd sit down and talk to you all day if I could. But I really do need to take your order."

"Oh um well…" He bit his lip, glancing down at the menu. "Uh… a slice of chocolate cake?"

Sanji wrote it down. "You got it. I'll be right back." He had to round a few other tables though so by the time he returned the dark-haired male had another book on the table, tongue poking between his lips as he wrote something in his notebook.

"Not another art project?" He inquired as he set the plate down.

"No. Calculus homework."

"_Calculus?!_ Holy shit, you must be a genius."

The other laughed softly. "Haha, n-not really."

"Oi. You're talking to a guy who barely got through Algebra 2." He said, arching a curly brow.

"Mmm, I bet you could get it if you tried. You just need a good teacher. You're a student at Uni-V right?" When Sanji nodded, he added, "What's your major?"

"Culinary Arts."

"See?" He waved a hand as if that explained everything. "That's an _artistic_ degree. I bet you just don't apply yourself because you know you don't need a lot of math to cook."

He wasn't sure what to say for a moment, because that was the exact argument he used when he decided to just pick the easier math classes to fulfill his degree requirements. "Well, what about you? I was so sure you were an art student?"

"Oh, I am. Well… sort of. I'm minoring in Fine Arts – but my major is Chemistry."

Well, that was surprising. "But… you're so good."

"Haha," The other laughed embarrassedly, spearing his fork into the cake. Sanji had made sure it had been cut where the cake was still moist and in its prime of delicious taste. "Even if that is true, it's hard to make it in the art world. Chemistry is a more solid degree, you know?"

"I guess so." He replied, though he really didn't know. He didn't have to worry with his degree; there would always be hungry people to feed. Speaking of which, he abruptly took notice of the increasing lack of empty tables. "Jeez, we're getting packed."

"You should get back to work." The dark-skinned man said. "I don't wanna get you in trouble."

"You wouldn't. It'd be my fault." Sanji insisted. "I'll come back when I can."

Unfortunately, he didn't really have much chance to do so. He'd forgotten how time-consuming being a waiter could be, especially with just him and Nami working tables on an unusually busy hour. The most he was able to do was get a glass of water when the other requested it. Though, every time he passed by, his heart fluttered when the studious scholar would take notice of it and look up, giving him a small smile that Sanji would return.

"Yoooou've got it baaaad." Nami sing-songed when they were both in the kitchen area, lining up their orders on the metal turner. Sanji longed to take a few of them out and actually _make_ what was on them.

"Ah it is true but, Nami-darling, do not worry. Nothing will surpass my eternal adoration for you!"

She rolled her eyes, ignoring his declarations entirely. "He's not too bad looking either, even with the nose."

"I like it." Sanji said. "I mean it's… different. And it doesn't make him any less attractive."

"But it doesn't make him more attractive either?"

"Well… I don't know." He hummed. "But somehow, he just wouldn't look right without it."

She giggled, her voice like bells to his ears. "So? Are you going to ask him on a date?"

"Well I don't-"

"Oh come on!" She wacked him on the shoulder. "Sanji, you have no problem going up to any person with breasts and acting like you'll_ die_ if you don't marry them – but when it comes to guys you shy so far away you're practically on another continent. Even when they totally like you!"

"Well I-" Sanji started to argue, when her words really hit his brain and practically electrified him. "W-Wait… you think he likes me?"

Nami sighed exasperatedly. "Oh you really are just too dense! _Obviously_ he does! You really think he'd come all the way back just to show you a picture if he didn't have something for you?"

"But he promised to show me-"

"Ooooh no. Don't try to reason it." The cartographer-to-be wagged her finger at him. "You start doing that and you'll make up all these fake reasons on why you shouldn't do it and chicken out."

He frowned a little indignantly. "I don't-"

"You do." She cut in bluntly, just like Nami-san always was. "Now listen to me. Did you ever consider this guy could be The One?"

He arched an eyebrow. "_'The One'?_"

"Yes. You could go on a date with this guy and it might be the most amazing day of your life. Then somewhere down the road, you realize you're still with this guy and still completely crazy about him. Next thing you know, you're popping the question and he's accepting and soon enough you're having babies!"

"Whoa, whoa!" He waved his hands, flushing. "B-Babies?!"

"Okay well, maybe not that part." She amended. "But, you get what I mean right?"

"Sure I do but all that's not likely to happen with this guy."

Nami placed her hands on her hips, scolding, "Sanji, how exactly do you think most people get married? That they just snatch someone off the streets and take them straight to the chapel? They go on dates, learn about each other! Besides… can you honestly tell me that if he just walks out the door today and never returns you won't regret not even trying?"

"I…." Sanji sighed in defeat, smiling abashedly at her. "Nami-san, you are so marvelously wise."

"Yes, Yes. I know. Now hurry and ask him!"

But when Sanji returned to Table 7, his worst fear was realized – the mysterious man was again gone. His shoulders slumped some; but when he noticed the bill poking out from the corner of the plate, he nearly threw the dish across the room in his hurry to get to it. It was another fifty, but he didn't care about that for all his eyes could see was the little note in the same corner as the last one:

_My name is Usopp. See you tomorrow._


	3. Day 3

**Disclaimer:** Does having a room full of Usopps count as owning One Piece? No? Well darn, I still don't own it then.

Okay, not going to lie; I've been a little nervous over how well-liked this story is going to end up being and the more the plot develops the more I worry. Shout-outs go to Ichi-swan and Jeanette who kindly encouraged me out of my freak-outs; you guys are awesome. And again, thank you to all those who are enjoying this tale thus far!

* * *

_Day 3, Thursday_

To say he was looking forward to the next day was an understatement – but nearly all his hopes and dreams felt ready to crash when Hewitt, the manager, called and told him they needed him on the day shift. With no classes to attend that day, he didn't have an excuse to say no and soon found himself sourly working the early hours, certain he was the unluckiest single guy in the entire universe.

Just as he was beginning to consider bargaining some of his tip fare for his sweet Nami-san to leave Usopp a message letting him know why he wouldn't see him today, fate had other plans in mind for him when Hewitt called about Table 5 needing attending.

To his shock, there the African sat, sketchpad propped against the table as he drew.

Sanji practically whirled over to him. "So," He said with a smile, "How do you pronounce it? Oo-sopp or You-sopp?"

The other grinned up at him, chuckling some. "Neither. U-sop-pu. But Oo-sopp is fine too."

"I'll remember." Sanji vowed and then glanced down towards the notebook. "Another art project?"

"Ah well," Brown fingers drummed along the edge of the pages, saying, "No. Just drawing. And ignoring the English homework I should be doing."

"Wait," He was beginning to realize he was _flirting_. "You mean there's something the Great and Talented Usopp cannot do? I don't believe it."

He was apparently quite good at it because Usopp blushed, waving a hand. "Stop it. I'm terrible at plenty of things. Especially Shakespeare. And poetry. Of which, lucky me, it's a combo of both and that just makes the whole assignment impossible."

Sanji perked up. "You don't get Shakespearean sonnets? Come on now, that stuff is practically love on paper."

"Yeah, in a language no one has used in four hundred years." He wrinkled his nose some, grumbling, "Honestly, can't we just pick up Harry Potter instead?"

Sanji chuckled some, finding the other becoming more intriguing by the minute. And that's when an absolutely genius idea sparked off in his head. "Hey, I tell you what. I actually get off in about twenty minutes. If you have your assignment on you I could give you a hand with it?"

"O-Oh I… I couldn't ask you to do that." The chemistry student said, that innate trait of shyness returning as he looked away, turning his pencil in his hands. "I'm sure you have somewhere to be. And I'd keep you here for hours – I really, _really_ don't get this kind of stuff."

"Trust me, I have nowhere to be." He reassured. "And I bet you I can have you getting it in ten minutes."

"W-Well…" Usopp hesitated as he thought about it, his eyes running back and forth along the table before he finally looked up at him. "You're sure it won't be too much trouble?"

"Positive." He said with a nod. _Say yes, say yes, sayyes!_

"Well… Alright then. Thank you!" He replied. "At this rate, I'm going to pass college all thanks to you!"

_YES!_ Sanji mentally cheered as he shook his head and laughed, taking out his order book. "So what would you like today?"

"Mmm…. A vanilla milkshake."

He wrote it down, then peered down at him from over the top of it. "Do you ever eat actual food?"

"Of course I do! I just… like to spoil myself sometimes." Usopp rose an eyebrow, teasing, "That okay, _mom?_"

"As long as you don't rot out those pretty teeth of yours. I'll be back soon."

He never knew twenty minutes could take so long. Every time he glanced at his watch, he swore it was actually going backwards when he wasn't looking at it, because it really couldn't have been only fifteen seconds since the last time he checked – right?

It didn't help that he was also craving a cigarette; by the time he was off shift and able to clock out, he was dancing between flying out the back door for his routine smoke or galloping back out into the dining room to Usopp. It was wonderful Nami who shoved him out the door, telling him he'd better otherwise he'd act like nothing but a jittery fool and that would be incredibly unattractive.

Like usual, she was right because after the break he felt immensely better, the caged lions in his stomach calming down to nothing more than butterflies.

They kind of upped themselves to rabid dogs though when he passed through the kitchen and Nami called after him, "Have fun on your date!"

_Come on, be cool._ He self-coached as he came to the table, his voice doing a weird pitch jump when he sat down across from the other and asked, "You ready?"

Not cool at all.

But Usopp didn't seem to notice or if he did, blissfully didn't say anything about it, just flipped his sketchpad closed and nodded. "I really appreciate you helping me out."

Sanji just shrugged it off. "It's nothing. So what do you have to do?"

"Well," The other dug through his bag as he explained, "I have to read the sonnet then write a discussion on what it means and describe what theme is being used with the verses and imagery. I have to write like six-hundred words."

"Alright, sounds fairly easy." He was given a look that basically translated to 'You're kidding me, right?' It made him smile. "Which sonnet is it?"

"Ummm," Usopp dug through his bag a minute longer before finally pulling out a hardcover book. There was a piece of scrap paper stuck between the pages and he flipped it open to that spot. Sanji couldn't help but notice even the fake bookmark had little pencil doddles covering nearly every available white space. "Sonnet 52."

"Well you know," He began, looking at Usopp carefully as he said this, "That Shakespeare wrote the first hundred and twenty-one sonnets to a man, right?"

He was watching for a sign, any sign, of disgust or unease. Instead, Usopp said something that made his heart jump. "Yeah and that's pretty cool. But he could have written in _English_ at least."

"It is in English!" He said, feeling relief coursing through him.

"No." He argued firmly. "_English_ is 'You're as pretty as a day in summer' not 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' blah, blah blah, blah blah!'"

Sanji laughed. "That's not even what _that_ sonnet says!"

"Well now you know just how much I suck at this!"

"Well then," He grinned. "Guess that's why I'm here."

They got to work right after. The sonnet was somewhat bittersweet, explaining about a lover who ("like a pirate" Usopp insisted) viewed his loved one like a piece of treasure: something precious and desired to be kept near but also rare and never seen while life around the two consumed them both.

"You're really good at this." Usopp complimented just as he was finishing up the last few sentences, the milkshake beside him long ago finished.

"Ha, I should be. I took a whole semester on Shakespearean works." Sanji said, chin in his hand as he admired the way the other's curls fell along his forehead.

"A whole semester?!" He looked up, surprised. Then after a moment of staring added, "You're a masochist."

"I'm a – _what?_"

"You must be to actually want to take a class like that!"

"Oi!" He argued, leaning back in his chair. "That's not true. I'm a refined guy who has a very sophisticated taste."

"Uh-huh. So tell me," Usopp began casually enough, "How many girls were in the class?"

"Seventeen." He answered, unsure where this was going.

"And how many students were in the class?" Usopp was beginning to smile.

"Uh…" This felt like a trap. "Eighteen."

"Yeah. 'Refined' my ass." He said, laughing hard and the sound of it sent tingles through Sanji even as he tried to defend himself.

"It wasn't like I planned to be the only guy in the class!"

"But _everyone_ knows only girls take classes like that." He refuted. "Face it. You're nothing but a total ladies' man. And don't even try to deny it when you practically declare your love to that waiter every time she comes by."

Damn his inability to not flourish praises over his dear, sweet Nami-san. "Alright, so I'm a ladies' man but I really did like the class too." He gave in. Usopp smiled triumphantly, bending back over his work. Sanji watched him, licking his lips nervously and garnering his courage because it was now or never and a better opportunity probably wasn't going to come by again. "But… I wouldn't have minded a couple guys in the class either… seeing as I can be a man's man too."

The pencil froze, brown eyes wide as they looked up at him. "Wait. R…Really? You're…?"

"Bisexual, yeah." Sanji said. And it was more out of reflex then conscious thought that he defensively added in a rush to dispel some of the awkwardness, "And if you have a shitty problem with that, well I don't give a fuck because I'll kick your ass if you do."

Usopp flinched, paling a few shades and he shook his head. "O-Of course I don't have a problem with it! I-I'd be a hypocrite if I did."

Sanji relaxed then, those words giving him some hope. "Oh. Well good. So then you're…?"

"Yeah. Full-on."

"Oh well… cool." He replied lamely, unable to find anything better to say. Usopp smiled weakly, continuing with his paper, but something uncomfortable had settled between them. It wasn't until he noticed the art student's hand shaking that he wished he could kick himself. Did he really think he'd actually-? "Hey," He tried his best to keep his voice gentle. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off on you like that. I… I just…."

"No. You don't need to explain." Usopp looked up at him, this time giving him a more honest smile. "I've been there too you know."

"I still shouldn't have overreacted like that. You were obviously cool with it. I'm just…" _Such a fucking idiot! _

But Usopp just laughed it off and when his pencil returned to his paper he wasn't trembling anymore. "And I've known people who are 'cool' with it but who also don't want friends who are. So, forget it. The important thing is we accept each other right?"

_M…Melloriiiine…_ Sanji swooned internally, admiring the other's optimistic attitude. "Yeah, you're right."

"Hehe." Usopp chuckled, working out the last few words before tacking on the period and dropping the pencil, falling against the back of his chair. "Annnnnd done! Whew, that's one load off my mind. You're a real lifesaver you know that Sanji?" He reached for the milkshake, pouting when he found it quite empty. He ran his finger along the inner side of the glass catching up some remnants before licking it up.

Was he doing that on purpose?! Sanji swallowed hard, trying not to watch. "I told you it wasn't any trouble."

"Yeah well I-" Usopp started to say when a little ring played. He jerked in surprise, setting down the glass and digging through his pocket to pull out the slightly beat-up cellphone. He flipped open the top and it must have been a text because he seemed to read something then frowned. "And just in time because now I have to go."

_Wait, what, now?!_ Sanji wanted to yell but couldn't find the breath to speak.

"Damn." Usopp cursed, writing something back before stuffing the phone in his pocket, gathering his things. "Sorry. You know, this was kind of fun though. I uh…" He paused as he was shoving his book into his bag, biting at his lip. "M-M-Maybe we could uh… do it tomorrow? Uh-!" His face brightened up as he realized just what he said, waving at the tabletop between them. "T-T-That is to say this! The talking and the-the-the uh…"

Sanji was blushing some too, but it had a lot less to do with embarrassment and more to do with his sudden overactive imagination getting away with him. But he decided to save the other from further humiliation by saying (and hopefully not sounding _too_ eager), "Yeah that'd be awesome. I'm just covering a few hours tomorrow so I get off at seven."

"That's perfect! My class ends at six-forty-five." Usopp responded. "I could meet you here."

"That'll work but could we go to the park or something down the block? Unless you want to eat that is."

"Well no, but why?"

"Being anywhere I can't smoke drives me crazy after a while." Sanji answered.

"Oh you smoke? So _that's_ what that smell was. Well that's-" Usopp started to say, only to get interrupted by another telltale ring and he seemed to cringe at the sound, grumbling to it, "Okay, okay." He latched his bag closed. "I really got to go, but promise me we can go to the candy story on the corner and you've got a deal."

"You must have a daily sugar intake you have to meet every day huh?" Sanji badgered good-naturedly.

"Shut up." He smiled, standing and shouldering his bag, but as he pulled out his wallet and reached for a bill his forehead wrinkled in confusion. "I uh, how do I leave a tip for you both?"

"It's fine. Just give it to Nami-darling." Sanji said.

"Are you sure? I know waiters don't make-"

He shook his head. "I'm not usually a waiter. Don't worry about it."

"You're not? But then-" Usopp was again interrupted by an irritating ring and he huffed, mumbling to himself. "God, Kuro enough."

The name was unfamiliar and instantly sent alarm bells through Sanji's head. "Who's Kuro?"

"My boyfriend." Usopp said, dropping the bill on the table hurriedly. "Listen I'll be right out the door around seven so I'll see you then, alright? Later Sanji!"

And then he rushed off, so fast he didn't catch Sanji's heartbroken expression.

_YOUR WHAT?!_


	4. Day 4

**Disclaimer:** Hey did you know this is not necessary for every chapter? Did you also know whether you put it in or not, it won't save your butt if someone wants to open a copyright claim against you? _The more you know._

So, I'm glad no one lynched me and screamed 'BETRAYAL, BETRAYAL' for that last chapter. I was totally ready to deck myself in armor; but rather, the reception was extremely encouraging! Now... let's just see how long that lasts.

Enjoy, my dear readers!

* * *

_Day 4, Friday_

After tossing and turning all night long and going about his morning in nothing but a daze of despair, he decided to use the time during his lunch break to call his lovely Nami, seeing as she had the day off today. She always had some of the best advice. And, she was also a very patient person; because she had listened to him do nothing but lament over his very existence for the past twenty-five of those given thirty minutes.

"Oi Nami-swan whatever can I do?" Sanji wailed. "He's taken. Taken! My life is over."

He might have been acting a little overdramatic.

"I should probably just call off today huh? Make up some lame excuse why I can't go and then just avoid him until he goes away. And then, I'll just shrivel up and die from loneliness." The cook bemoaned further.

Okay, _very_ overdramatic.

"Cut that out already." Nami exasperatedly argued. "Don't call it off. You don't know what the circumstances are for this relationship you know. Maybe there is still hope."

He frowned at those words, saying as kindly as possible, "Nami-san, I know you say everything with the best of intentions in mind, but I… do not think I could ever coerce anyone into being unfaithful. The type who does will only be unfaithful with me as well."

"I'm not saying that! I just-"

"Nami-san?" He heard a quiet voice on the other end speak up. "May I speak with him?"

"Yes, please!" Nami said, her voice becoming faint as she added, "Good luck."

There was a moment of silence and then a soft tone filtered through the line. "Sanji-kun?"

"Oh, Vivi-chan! Don't you sound just lovely today?" He exclaimed though it lacked much of his usual enthusiasm.

"Thank you Sanji-kun." She replied, polite as ever. "Now I think what Nami-san meant is that relationships can be fleeting. There might come a day where Usopp-san will break up with this boyfriend of his and then… well, you never know! You could be in his future."

"Ah, what a wonderful thought!" Sanji perked up, yet his voice weakened some, "But wouldn't it be wrong of me to stay near to him with feelings like mine?"

"Not necessarily. Sanji-kun, you've only known Usopp-san for a few days now. All your feelings for him are based on what you see on the surface. You know little to nothing about who he really is, so you don't know how much you like who he is inside. Getting closer to him will allow you to discover that answer." Vivi reasoned, sounding almost diplomatic; although, she was working on getting a degree in politics. "It's your choice whether to do it or not, but I don't think it would harm anyone to become a friend of his. But if he starts making advances towards you or your feelings become too strong to handle, that might be when it is best to break the relationship. But it might be a hard route to take if the latter becomes true, so I do fear for your heart in that case."

"Ah, you are so correct Vivi-chan! What would a foolish man like me do without you?"

"Have one less person to knock some sense into you." She giggled prettily on the other end, adding reproachfully, "Also you'll only hurt and confuse him if you blow him off, especially if he keeps returning on honest terms about being your friend. But if you really do not think you can handle being around him, you should be honest with him. You've never been the type to lie."

"Yeah… I know." He agreed, already feeling bad for having even considered it. He sighed, glancing at his watch. "Well, I have four more hours before my shift ends. I will think about it Vivi-chan. Thank you so much for the wonderful advice."

"You're welcome Sanji-kun."

And so he did – for four long, agonizing hours he rolled those simple words around his head like a bad hit song on the radio, trying to find the answer. By the time he was clocking out, he had finally decided not to go on with it and send himself through a potential emotional rollercoaster that, by the end of it, he probably couldn't keep Usopp from getting pulled into. And that would result in anything good they managed to forge in their friendship to suddenly become tainted, ensnared between hurtful arguments and his overwhelming feelings. How would that be fair to either of them?

He knew with every fiber of his being it wasn't; so there was only one thing to be done.

Mind set, he pulled off his nametag and shoved open the front door, and found the speech he had spent the better part of two hours composing in his head collapse like a soufflé as Usopp looked up at him from where he was leaning against the wall, shoulder-length curls pulled back in a cute ponytail and a gorgeously bright smile growing on his face. _Shit._ "Ready to go?"

He knew he'd regret it deeply several months down the road from now because if his heart was flipping like this just from a smile, what would it be doing when he actually fell hopelessly in love? But at that moment, he didn't care what the future held as long as he could keep getting smiles like this right now.

And, really, he shouldn't be surprised by his impulsive choice. He'd _always _been weak when it came to addictions.

"Yeah. Candy store first, right?"

"Right!" Usopp said, pushing off from the wall, following into step at his side as they walked down the street.

* * *

"I can't believe you're really eating those."

They had made it to the park, currently following a stone path through the Elm and Oak trees, r-shaped lampposts lighting the way. The sky was a cerulean blue above them, darkening more and more by the minute. It was only barely spring so the sun had already set, but the air was a moderate temperature, promising a hot summer ahead.

"What's wrong with Fairy Dust?" Usopp argued, ripping open another straw of sugar in powder form, tipping his head back and dumping the whole straw-full on his tongue.

Sanji shuddered at the very thought of the sugar rush. "Nothing, unless you're eating the entire thing in one go like that."

"But how else am I supposed to get my tongue to change colors?" Usopp argued once the candy had dissolved, sticking out his tongue. It was an impressive looking blue color. "Besides, you shouldn't be able to say anything, considering _your_ bad habit."

He noticed the artist's line of sight was on his burning cigarette and rose it to his mouth flippantly, inhaling a drag and blowing out a smoke ring.

"You're not proving your point very well by doing awesome things like that." Usopp chuckled. "Just how long have you been smoking anyways?"

"You want the truth?"

"I'd prefer it."

Sanji flicked off some ashes. "Since I was twelve."

The other seemed surprised, but didn't reprimand him. "Bet all the other kids thought you were such a badass."

"Something like that." Sanji responded, inhaling again. As Usopp ripped open another packet, he said, "You know, I know someone a lot like you. My friend's kid brother. He eats candy all the time. Of course, he is fourteen."

"Jeez, don't make it sound like it's so sinful for a twenty-one year old to like sweets!" He complained in a whiny tone, and then mumbled mostly to himself, "Of course, you are going to be a cook, guess you would worry about that…"

"Huh, you're a year younger than me." Sanji observed quietly.

Usopp didn't respond to that beyond a quiet chuckle, saying instead, "That reminds me, I meant to ask. You said yesterday you weren't really a waiter and I thought it was strange you were working on becoming a cook and well… not cooking."

He huffed a bit, bitterly grumbling, "Yeah, well, I _was_ a cook there. I got… temporarily demoted last week."

"Demoted?" The artist lent forward, eyes wide with curiosity. "What did you do?"

"Oi, oi, don't act like I'm some kind of criminal." Sanji shifted uncomfortably. "It wasn't that big a deal, really. I just forgot where I was and… lit up in the kitchen."

"You were smoking while cooking?!"

He shrugged his shoulders, trying to be unperturbed about it. "Yeah. I do it all the time when I'm at home. My supervisor had a fit, going on and on about health code violations and how if I wasn't his best cook he'd kick me out on my ass and shit and then sent me home and demoted me for three weeks." Usopp whistled, long and mockingly impressed, laughing when Sanji pushed his shoulder. "Oh shut up. You wouldn't be insulting me if you had tasted my cooking."

"Someone's got an ego."

"Only when it comes to my cooking." Sanji dropped the spent cigarette on the ground, smashing it under his foot. "What about you? Where do you work?"

"M-M-Me?" The younger spluttered.

"Yeah. Y-Y-You." He echoed.

The younger pressed his lips together in annoyance and looked away, kicking a rock and watching it skip across the concrete. "I don't work. Kuro says I should focus on school. He keeps telling me I never have to work really; that he'll always take care of me."

And there it was; the boyfriend. He knew he could take this chance to pry for more information but what came out of his mouth instead was, "What's wrong with not working? There's plenty of college students who would love to be in your position." A certain orange haired beauty came to mind.

"Because!" Usopp sighed, reaching up and brushing a few strands of loose hair back. "B-Because… I'm just living off of Kuro's money. He gives me a weekly allowance and says he'll buy me anything I want. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it and it's really sweet of him. He's rich and all but sometimes I just wish I could-" He stopped then started to babble in a timid rush, "S-Sorry I'm whining. Here you are probably only making ends meet and not saying a word and I'm bitching like being fortunate is the end of the world."

Not about to refute the statement since it was true and caught off-guard from the abrupt shift, Sanji could only think to say, "It's alright."

But like yesterday, a level of discomfort had fallen over them, and he couldn't help but wrack his brain over it. Unable to see the talent in his artwork, uncertain about his studies and now this… He had seen hints of it before, but now it was becoming increasingly obvious that the other man dealt with some slight self-doubt issues. And Sanji felt puzzled by it, because he had never met someone with a lack of confidence before and wasn't sure how to handle it. All of his other friends, particularly the stupid Marimo and Luffy, were actually so_ full_ of assurance it border lined on recklessness.

So what could he do with someone so opposite of them? Should he press the other for answers or would that make him draw back even more? Should he just let it lie and pretend they hadn't said anything at all? Maybe bring it up again, later, when the tension wasn't so heated? Or should he just stay silent and let Usopp decide?

He decided to go with the last option, figuring it was probably best. But when it was obvious Usopp wasn't going to speak again as he tore open two of those powder packets and poured them down his throat at once (dear _god_) Sanji blurted out randomly, "Favorite color?"

Mouth full of orange and purple sugar, Usopp just stared at him with a confused expression but the message was pretty clear: 'Are you kidding?'

"Mine's blue." He pretended not to notice. "Only dark blue though. Sapphire and navy and whatnot."

There wasn't a quick response, Usopp having to swallow down two tons of candy, tongue now a shade of black, but eventually he got out, "Yellow."

He continued to shoot casual questions like that, each one chipping away the tense awkwardness until it was like a forgotten memory. Hell, it was even rather fun, and soon the other started to ask some in return. They probably cycled the park at least three times as they jabbered on about their likes and dislikes, and he ended up learning plenty about the long-nosed man. Like how his favorite animals were armadillos (explained the interesting pencil case) and he had a taste for action movies and his favorite season was summer.

And though he drank in every little tidbit of information as he was given it, it was the way Usopp seemed to animate before his eyes that was really incredible. He snickered when Sanji told him he had a fondness for jazz music; and he smirked impishly when told about Sanji's fear of spiders by replying how he used play with them and make them battle one another; and he over-dramatically grasped at his throat as he comically replied he had 'If-he-ate-another-mushroom-he'd-die disease' to Sanji's offer of making him a decent meal with the fungi. By the time they were at favorite superhero, Usopp's whole body was practically in motion as he jumped onto an empty park bench, telling a grand tale of Sogeking, the superhero he had drawn himself when he was eight, who went around destroying villains with nothing more than a slingshot.

"And when he lets it go," The artist said, pulling back invisible bands to the imaginary slingshot he 'held', before opening his fingers and letting the ammo fly towards the streetlamp he was aiming at. "The pachinko bursts open and forms into a giant phoenix made entirely of fire! It flies through the air, no one able to stop it, and it hits the gas tank head on, blasting the evil laboratory so high into the sky it goes into orbit around the planet! And that's how Sogeking saved the town from being turned into experimental mice by the evil Mr. Rat."

Sanji chortled, clapping while Usopp took a sweeping bow. When he straightened, a little flushed from excitement, the artist huffed as he realized most of his hair had slipped out of his tiny ponytail and reached back to pull it back and fix it.

And that's when he saw it.

Peeking out from the corner of Usopp's sleeve was a distinct discoloration on his skin, the reddish-purple blotch starkly contrasting with his caramel colored skin. It looked fresh, maybe only a day or two old, and extremely tender. Sanji grimaced at the sight of it. "Jeez that looks pretty bad."

"Huh?" The artist followed his line of sight, then dropped his hands quickly, frazzled hair falling everywhere as he pulled at his sleeve, laughing. "S'not as bad as it looks. My skin bruises weird. But it doesn't hurt much."

"How'd you get it?" He asked.

Usopp tittered abut, jumping from the bench and rolling the hair tie down his wrist and tugging at it, rocking on his heels. "I-It's – I'm _really_ clumsy. Or unlucky. See I uh-" He tapered off, biting at his lip some, then met Sanji's eyes as he spoke, "When I was a kid, I loved fiddling with things. I think I got it from my mom, really. She owned this antique repair shop and she was always fixing these neat pocket watches and old, black-and-white cameras and fancy furniture and all sorts of things like that. So, I guess I picked it up from her. When I was nine, one of the houses down the street was having a yard sale and my mom gave me a quarter to spend. I bought this old remote control car that didn't work anymore."

The chemistry student was starting to move his hands again, mimicking his words, "I took that thing apart piece by piece – and there was just so much cool stuff in the mechanics of it. It felt like it was better than Christmas, looking at all those little wires that made the car go. Mom had to help a bit, but I eventually rebuilt it and got it to work again. It took me weeks but I was so… amazed at myself I think." He rubbed the back of his head. "Ever since then I've loved trying to fix stuff that's broken and building stuff from wood or clay."

His hands fell then one rose to cover his arm where the injury was as he stared off in the distance. "But I always tend to come out of any project injured somehow. Splinters, little cuts, hit my thumb with a hammer once. That's how I did this." He shrugged his shoulders, toeing at a rock. "The kitchen sink got clogged, so I told Kuro I'd fix it. I was under the sink, just trying to get the pipe loose and Merry was on the counter above me and for whatever reason she jumped down onto me. Scared the shit out of me and I kind of reflexively jerked up." He shifted body to the side. "I kind of moved like this and banged my arm real hard into the pipe. Hurt like hell. And now I have a nice set of scratches on my stomach too because Merry bolted off me when I moved."

Usopp rolled his eyes up to meet his again, rather abashed. "Kinda dumb huh?"

"No, of course not." Sanji reassured, the stiffness in the younger's shoulders seeming to melt away instantly. He started to walk down the trail again. "That's actually pretty awesome. Hah, now I know who to call whenever my stove starts acting up again."

He bounced over to his side. "That's me: Usopp, the fix-it machine!"

Ah, so there _was_ something he was confident about. Sanji marveled at that a moment, then he realized his chance just opened to get the most important thing from any possible love interest: the seven digits. "Annnnd," He drawled out nonchalantly, "That would be so easy to do, if I had your number."

Usopp deflated unexpectedly, worrying at his lip uneasily. They had stopped walking again. "W-Wait, you want my number?"

"Well, yeah. What, you don't want to give it to me?" Sanji asked, perplexed by the other's strange behavior. Usopp opened his mouth, as if to answer, but nothing came out. So he stood there, gaping like a dead fish still strung on a hook, and he took the hint. "Yeah okay, I get it. Forget I asked." Disappointed, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and left the other behind as he ambled down the walk.

He got twenty steps before Usopp cried, "WAIT!" And then there were rapid footsteps as he ran after him, sliding a little as he skirted past and tried to stop. He wheeled his arms as he started to overbalance, so Sanji reached out and grabbed his elbow, pulling him upright. "T-Thanks. Uh, listen I didn't mean that… I just… you caught me by surprise alright?"

He raised his curly brow. "What, no one's asked for your number before?"

"N-Not… in a long time." The student admitted, head bowing in shame and Sanji wanted to kick himself again. Of course that was the case! Three days in a row coming to a restaurant alone and acting like it was something he did often despite an endearing shy nature; how much more obvious of a clue did he need?

Usopp lobbed a bottle cap down the road as he dug out the cell, mumbling, "But… if you really want mine… I guess that's okay. I got to warn you though it's a pretty special phone 'cause it's so old. It likes to cut out all the time and sometimes it won't ring."

"Against new technology or something?"

He laughed softy, running a fond thumb along the scratched cover. "My dad gave me this phone as a birthday gift. I'm not replacing it until it dies for good." He flipped it open. "S-So what's yours?"

So they traded numbers, Sanji noting the way Usopp's hands shook the entire time and not understanding why. Shortly after, the younger told him he had to go so he could feed Merry. And when he started to tell the artist he worked tomorrow as well, Usopp dodged the offer by explaining he lived too far to go when he didn't have classes.

B-But… he could feel free to call if he had time.

They parted and Sanji watched him go, mind whirling with the mystifying unknown that seemed to surround the reclusive male.


	5. Day 5

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece

Aaaaaaugh I am so sorry this update is late everyone! I ended up going to Anime Expo last weekend and didn't update because I hadn't finished editing and I also had a major moment of uncertainly over the last part of this chapter and had to have a friend read it and tell me if it was an acceptable chain of events. I'm still nervous and this chapter is sadly not very long either, so the wait is hardly satisfying. But I am going to try-try-**_try_** my very best to get Chapter 6 up in the next few days as well to make up for last week's loss.

Anyways, enjoy everyone!

* * *

_Day 5, Saturday_

Sanji had been in relationships before, so he was no stranger to the signs of Puppy-Love Syndrome.

He knew when he went home yesterday night and didn't immediately bash in Zoro's or Luffy's head for leaving empty alcohol bottles and bare chicken bones on his beautiful countertop for the fiftieth time, that he was in an extremely good mood.

He knew when he spent more time on the balcony staring up at the stars and letting the cigarette just burn away on his fingertips, that his mind was preoccupied.

And he knew when he checked his phone almost a dozen times an hour to see if anything was received and pulled open his contact list almost as many times just to stare at that number with an itch to call it (even if it was three in the morning), that he was falling pretty hard already.

He worried maybe it was already getting too serious, but Vivi-chan's sensible words were still rolling around in his head. So, he reminded himself he'd been in this stage plenty of times before and fallen out just as quickly.

But wouldn't that just be his shitty luck if he did find himself unable to deny his affections for a _taken_ man, leaving him with nothing but a shattered heart.

"Tch," Sanji scoffed to himself as he hit the 'Call' button, "Maybe I am a masochist."

He waited silently, ring after ring echoing in his ears, and raised his cigarette to his lips, only to jeer when he saw yet another sign: the 'Try-not-to-make-a-complete-fool-of-yourself' nerves. "Stop it." He grumbled to his shaking fingers.

"Well, that's an interesting way to say hello."

God _damn it_.

"Uh, I was talking to…" Sanji stumbled, searching around the alley for some sort of answer. His eyes landed on some rubbish shoved behind the nearby dumpster. "This bag."

Usopp sounded like he was trying not to laugh. "A bag?"

"Yeah it's… fluttering here and being an annoying shithead and- never mind. What's that sound anyways?" He asked, unsure how to describe the sort of 'krpheeeeew' noise he could hear.

"Oh uh… water. I'm doing the dishes." Was the reply.

"And your voice?"

"What about it?"

"It's odd-sounding. Kind of echoing." Sanji noted. It sounded more like Usopp was in a bathroom than a kitchen. Perhaps that wasn't the best assumption to come to though, considering the ungentlemanly part of his mind decided to take that subtle implication to rather _perverted_ heights.

"You didn't believe me when I said my phone was special did you?" There was a jittery chuckle, jolting him out of a fantasy of water rushing down dark skin and black curls wet even darker. "Feel blessed you can hear me at all. So… what's up?"

"Nothing really. On my lunch break and I was bored." He answered.

Usopp sounded amused. "Now it's my turn to ask. Do _you_ ever eat?"

Sanji pulled off from the wall he had been leaning on, walking down the alley. "Had a snack. I'm banned from the kitchen entirely so I can't make anything fresh and anything I make at home usually gets eaten before I can take it out of the damn door."

"Oh? Roommates?"

"Tch, shitty ones." Sanji sat down on some stairs leading up to another business, some sort of craft store, before continuing, "I got two shitheads I live with. There's Luffy, a human vacuum. Seriously most of our combined money goes towards feeding him. And then the rest goes to that damn Marimo, Zoro, who just has to have his twelve bottles of ale a night."

"I see and then there's poor you, with only pocket change to buy all those cigarettes." Usopp said, falsely sympathetic.

"O-Oi!" He felt a blush rise while the artist tried to snort down his laughter. "You're missing the point, they're annoying as hell! I don't even know how I'm managing to be under the same roof as the mosshead. He's always trying to start something, using any little excuse to argue with me and making fun of my eyebrows all the time, the jerk."

"And 'Marimo' and 'mosshead' are what? Just pet names?"

Ignoring that, he pressed on. "And Luffy! Ugh, Luffy's… well he's not exactly the sharpest knife in the block set. Sometimes – okay, nearly all the time – he doesn't think before he acts. Like, get this. Once, I think last semester, I was taking my mid-term for my… History? Yeah, history class." He remembered it being one he shared with Robin-chan. "And it was an online course so that shit is timed and can't be interrupted right? Well Luffy comes tromping in, completely disregarding the fact I told him to leave me alone until I was done, and he's whining about how hungry he is. So I'm just trying to ignore him, hoping he'd eventually get bored and go away. And you know what he does to get my attention? He just falls onto my keyboard and my test disappears!" There was a small exclaim of shock from the receiver. "I freaked out and almost kicked the crap out of him until I realized he had only minimized the screen. Lucky bastard. But he can be such a damn idiot sometimes!"

"Aaaaah." The other said, this time with more genuine sympathy though Sanji could hear the smile in his voice. "Well, no harm done right? Hey, does that mean you cook for them too?" When he got a noise of acknowledgment, he added, "Man you're like the best roommate ever. I wish I could cook."

This rose Sanji's interest as he mentioned, "Anyone can cook."

"Well… I can make sandwiches. And you know, stuff from a box. With very clear directions."

"_Please_ tell me you don't just eat mac 'n cheese and Ramen all day, because it that's the case I'm coming over right now to show you how to make real food." He claimed, shuddering at the thought.

"No… Kuro knows how, so he does all the cooking." And there it was. Opportunity number two to start prying for information.

"How-"

"So, how long have you known your roommates?" And there it went.

He cursed internally, but spoke up all the same, "Those two idiots? Since middle school."

Usopp whistled in astonishment. "Wow, long time."

"Yeah." Sanji rolled out his spent cigarette on the railing then flicked it towards a nearby trashcan. He smirked when he managed to make it in. "I bitch about them a lot, but they're great friends."

"I wish…" The student paused, his voice lowering gloomily. "I wish I had kept some of my friends."

He frowned. "What happened to them?"

"Oh, you know. What happens to everyone I guess. Graduated high school, moved away, started college and made new friends. I tried to keep in touch but eventually, all of 'em stopped calling or answering."

Sanji rolled that around in his head and realized yesterday was beginning to make a hell of a lot more sense. Was that what he had been scared of? That he wouldn't care enough to call? "Well then," He claimed, "You had some shitty ass friends that weren't worth your time if they'd drop you for stupid reasons like that."

"T-They… They weren't that bad Sanji! Life just takes people away sometimes. Other things to do and stuff."

"Hmph," He huffed at the resignation he could hear in the man's tone. "Only those with fucked up priorities ditch their friends for 'other things'." He propped his elbow on his knee, thinking of all of his time-honored friends: Nami-san, Vivi-chan, Robin-chan, and even those idiot guys (Franky, Luffy and the Marimo). And despite Brook being on tour in the middle of Europe right now, he always found time to give them a call. Hell, he'd even consider Chopper more of friend than these so-called ones of Usopp's – and he was Zoro's fourteen-year-old kid brother for shit's sake!

There was an uncomfortable cough on the other end. "Heh, you're being a little harsh, don't you think?"

"No. I don't care what excuse you make up for them, a real friend is someone who sticks by you no matter what. I've known mine for so long, they're closer to me than family." He said brusquely, before adding more gently, "And you deserve friends like that too Usopp."

When the darker-skinned male finally managed to answer him, his voice sounded a little thick as he struggled to respond, "I don't think-I'm sure that's not tru-How can you just say stuff like that?! You don't even know me!"

"You sell yourself too short, you know that?" Sanji chided.

"I'm just being realistic!"

"No, you're being negative. Give me one shitty good reason why you didn't deserve good friends!"

"BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ANY!" Usopp screeched, leaving his ear ringing. The younger continued on angrily, his voice getting increasingly loud and furious, "I-If I deserved good friends then I'd have some wouldn't I? But I don't okay so just… just shut up, because you don't know what you're talking about!"

In the wake of that explosion only silence and heavy panting on the other end remained, a suspicious hitching noise there that he was sure had nothing to do with the other phone's strange quirks. Sanji listened to it for a moment, before admonishing, "You're a fucking idiot and a liar."

Usopp sniffed hard, whispering shakily, "W-What?"

"You _have_ a friend idiot. You have me."

"B-But you-?" There was another catch in Usopp's breath but then he suddenly burst into deliriously happy laughter and it was a much better sound then what had been there before. "S-Sanji you… y-you're crazy! You- hahaha!" The laughs calmed down to giggles after some time and he managed to say a little breathlessly, "Tha-hehehe-That really means a lot. Thank you."

"No big deal." Sanji said, shrugging his shoulders. "If you ever need more sense knocked into you, just call."

"I'll keep that in mind and I-" Usopp stopped abruptly, then cursed. His voice became distorted again, quieter, "Damn, I gotta go. Uh, Kuro needs me. I'll call tomorrow alright? Bye."

"Hey w-" Sanji tried to protest, but the line was already cut. He glanced down at his phone, but didn't have time to think about it because – "SHIT I'M LATE!"


	6. Day 6

Happy birthday everyone!

Wait. No, that's not right. Let me try that again.

Happy birthday to me! But well, since you guys are the ones getting a nice, new chapter, it feels like it's your birthdays too, right? I guess that only works if you all like this chapter though - but I really hope you do! Happy reading all!

* * *

_Day 6, Sunday_

"Sanji I'm huuuuuuuuungry! Meaaaaaaat!"

"Oh shut up already Luffy."

"Haha, your roommates sure like to bother you."

"Ugh, it's a curse. Sometimes I wish I lived alone."

"MEAAAAT!"

"GO AWAY LUFFY!"

On the other end of the phone, Usopp was laughing in amusement again.

Apparently home alone with nothing to do and bored out of his mind, he called Sanji to keep him entertained and was graced enough to listen not only to Luffy prattle on for the better part of an hour about how hungry he was (to the point Sanji was now making an early dinner) but also to hear him fight with Zoro no less than three times. He thought the nicknames he and that dumbass seaweed shared for one another were rather hilarious and spent the better part of the time chuckling away at Sanji and his misfortunes.

"I think it sounds pretty exciting." Usopp declared.

Sanji wrinkled his nose, dashing in some paprika into the vegetable dish, resolutely ignoring the thin, straw-hatted man who was sitting on the counter beside him and knocking his heels into the cabinet underneath him. "You want to trade places? I'd rather be you: in bed with a cat curled up on my legs."

"Oh, she's on my chest now. Still can't believe you can't hear her purring right now."

"Well I-"

"Sanjiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

"Luffy, you bother me one more shitty time and I'm going to shove your dinner through the phone for Usopp to eat!"

"WHAT?!" Luffy cried, eyes bulging out of his head. Without warning, he reached over, snatching the phone right off Sanji's shoulder and cried into it, "You wouldn't really do that would you?!"

"OI!" Sanji cried in horror, trying to snatch the phone back, only to be held at bay by a hand being smashed into his face.

"Because Sanji says you're really cool, but eating my meat is totally not cool!" The young man pouted, disregarding Sanji entirely. After a moment, his eyes lit up and he grinned. "Oh really? You would?! I like you then! You should come hang out with us." His grin faltered to one of confusion. "Huh, what do you mean think about it? Just do it! I always – HEY!"

Sanji had managed to finally dodge around the other and grab back his phone, holding it out of arm's reach. "Get out of my kitchen you shitty bastard!"

"But Sanji that's not fair! Why do you only get to talk to-"

"ALL DAY VEGETABLE DISHES!"

Luffy paled and jumped down, shouting: "BYE USOPP!" And then he sprinted out of the kitchen as if the healthy foods were right on his heels.

Peace at last! Sanji sighed, shouldering his phone again and was instantly greeted by the sound of Usopp laughing himself to tears. "What did you tell him?"

"Hahaha, nothing really." Usopp replied and he could hear the grin in his voice. "Just that I would never take his food and that I could teach him how to get around that lock you have on the fridge."

His eyebrow twitched. "You do that and I'll kick that long nose of yours right off your face."

The younger snickered, not sounding too threatened. There was a faint meow then the other started to grunt some. "Oh, ow, Merry ugh stop that."

"What's she doing?"

"Kneading me through my shirt. I need to trim her claws. O-Oooow. Okay enough of that!"

He didn't hear much more than another meow, this one sounding almost irritated, and he asked, "Where'd you move her to this time?"

"On the bed, against my side."

"And she'll probably hop back on you in the next ten minutes huh?"

"Yeah or-" He made a slight huff of pain. "Next ten _seconds_. She gets so cuddly when Kuro's not around. 'Course, she's always been real particular to me ever since I got her."

Sanji stirred the soup, spooning up some and hovering it over the pot. "When _did_ you get her?" He blew on the spoon, taking a careful sip. A little more salt.

"Back in high school when dad finally decided I was responsible enough. I begged my parents for years for a pet. That was always the first thing on my list to Santa and once, a few days before my ninth birthday, I even tried to butter up my parents by making them breakfast in bed."

Sanji hummed inquisitively, tipping the salt shaker carefully. "I thought you said you couldn't cook?"

"You think it turned out _good?_" Usopp laughed. "The eggs had shell pieces in them, the toast had too much jam and the pancakes were only half-done."

"I just don't understand how it didn't work." He grinned.

"Oh shut up. Not all of us can be pros."

He heard a sigh of content then (probably was Merry finally settling down) and Sanji opened the oven to check the chicken. It was browning nicely. Another two minutes should be perfect. As the silence dragged, he said then, "And Luffy's right, you should come hang out with us. I have Saturday off."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I work Monday to Friday this week." He turned off the burner as the soup started to boil, opening up the cupboard and reaching for the bowls. "We're all getting together to go to Shakky's."

"Ooh, that's a dance club right?"

"Yeah." He started ladling the soup in the bowls. "You should come. It'll be fun."

"I… I can't." Usopp said tentatively.

Sanji frowned, immediately demanding, "Why not? And don't tell me it's because you can't dance."

"N-No it's not that at all! It's…"

"It's?" He pried when Usopp trailed off, wondering why the other was always so hesitant. The silence continued to drag on and he checked his phone just to make sure the timer was still running since the phone had cut out on them at least three times so far, and then called, "Usopp?"

"I'll… think about it alright?" The other murmured barely above a whisper.

He was hoping for a better answer than that, but after yesterday's rollercoaster decided not to push it for now. "Alright. Well what about tomorrow?"

"What about it?"

"I work the late shift, so I'm there until closing at midnight. You still going to come see me?" He really hoped that hadn't sounded as needy as he thought it did.

"Well, Kuro comes home early on Mondays so I have to be home right after class tomorrow so I really can't." The other replied, then added dejectedly as if he knew he was ruining Sanji's day, "Sorry."

Sanji shouldered the phone as he flipped off the oven and pulled on some mitts, saying persistently, "When are your classes?"

"Huh? Uh well, I have Chemistry from eight to eleven and then Art from one to three."

"Perfect. I'm out of Restaurant Management at eleven-thirty and don't have to go to work until four. Why don't you meet me there? The professor likes me so he lets me use the kitchen after class lets out. I'll make you lunch, maybe give you a lesson or two." He offered while setting the chicken on the plates before reaching for the still sizzling vegetables.

"Really? You're sure that's ok? I don't want to bother you if it's too much trouble."

"Tch, if I can make dinner for these shitheads on a daily basis, feeding you will be a piece of cake."

"…Will there be cake too?" He questioned hopefully.

Sanji laughed. "I'll see what I can do for your sweet tooth."

"Then I'll be there! It's on the east side of campus right, past the library?"

"Yeah. Room E134." He put on the finishing touches for the plates, presentation important to him even for these unappreciative bastards, and then reached up, grasping the phone. "Well, dinner's done so I better feed these bastards. So, tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah. See you then!" Usopp happily returned.

Sanji sighed after he ended the call, staring longingly at the phone and tempted to just call back because he really hadn't wanted it to end, but that really _would_ be needy. And he wouldn't die in sixteen hours – though, it would be such a close call he might just get to give the Grim Reaper a hello in form of a rightful get-the-fuck-away-from-me kick in the ass. With that foolhardy plan in mind, he balanced the three plates on his arms and headed for the dining table, yelling, "ALRIGHT BASTARDS, DINNER'S READY!"


	7. Day 7

Well, I know this is a bit late, but the chapter's decently long and reveals quite a bit, so hopefully it was worth it! And I can't say it enough but, thank you for all the support; you guys are awesome! I really hope you all are enjoying this tale thus far!

* * *

_Day 7, Monday_

"No way. You're lying."

"I'm not! I told you, that's not my style."

"Okay, so," Usopp was saying, sitting on a swivel bar stool and using his feet propped against the legs to turn it from side to side, "You expect me to believe you know Soul King. _The_ Soul King."

Sanji nodded, pouring the milk into the cream-coated bowl. They had delved from cooking lessons to talking about his superstar friend, the topic spurred when Usopp started to hum a recognizable hit song of Brook's. Somewhere in the midst of it, the artist had decided to take an unannounced break, leaving him with the work.

"Yeah, not buying it Sanj'." The other denied.

_Sanj'?_ He swooned for a moment over the nickname, glad his back was to Usopp so he couldn't see his dreamy smile. "Well I do."

"Okay, prove it."

"Fine." Sanji said, lifting up the mixing bowl and shoving it into Usopp's hands. "Stir this."

He blinked down at it for a moment like it were some alien concoction before setting it in his lap and taking the proffered spoon, sticking his tongue out cutely as he pushed the utensil in the sure-to-be sugary creation and started to mix the sour cream, pudding, milk and whipped cream together. Sanji couldn't help but watch, blindly pulling out his cellphone.

"Alright, see this is from high school." He said finally as he went through his digital photo album, pulling up a shot he thankfully still had. He'd taken it a few days before graduation with his old cell, but had almost lost it after he accidentally stepped on the fragile device during one of his ritual tussles with Zoro. Luckily, he spared that shitty swordsman's life (because undoubtedly it was all his fault the damn thing broke!) when Franky was able to save the data on it.

The younger student glanced up as the phone was held towards him, eyes scouring the unfamiliar faces a moment, before his eyes widened and he seemed to choke on air. "Oh my _god!_" The spoon clattered against the edge of the glass as he let it go in favor of snatching the cell, nearly shoving it into his long nose to get a better look. "Oh… wow. Wow! That's really him!"

"I told you." Sanji said, reaching out and taking the small bowl – and it was probably to satisfy a guilty pleasure that as he did so he allowed the tips of his fingers to brush one denim-clad thigh.

Usopp didn't even notice. "Sanji would you get his autograph for me?!"

"Why not ask him yourself?" He replied, stirring quickly. "Whenever he's back in town, you can meet him."

"M-M-Meet?!" That squeal could have broken fine china. "Oh god Sanji really?" He grinned widely, but then his eyes bulged in horror. "Wait, _no!_ I'd just be a total spaz I'm sure and make a total fool of myself and he'd be thinking the entire time 'Who is this weirdo?'"

Sanji snorted at that, setting the bowl aside. "Ha! I doubt that considering Brook is weirder than you by far."

"Well, I couldn't – I can't – oh what if I _did!?_" Usopp held his blushing face in his hand, smile unbelievably wide as he laughed in delight. He peeked through his fingers to stare down at the photo, squirming in his chair. It was adorable and Sanji just couldn't stop watching even as he cut the bananas. Who knew he was such a fan?

By the time he was done layering the banana and pudding into a bowl and getting it into the fridge to chill while their lunch finished cooking, Usopp had calmed immensely, now staring down at the phone with a sense of fondness. "So everyone else in this picture – they're your friends too?"

"Yeah. Nami-san, Robin-chan, Vivi-chan, Luffy, Franky, Brook, Chopper and the Marimo."

He continued to scour over the shot, trying to match names and faces of people he didn't know. "I'm going to assume 'the Marimo' is the one with green hair?"

"Yeah, that's him alright."

"He's kind of scary." Usopp mumbled, than went about trying to guess the rest. Other than Nami-san, who he had already met, and Luffy, who he picked out immediately, he got everyone else wrong.

Some of his reasons were amusing.

"Is this blue-haired guy Chopper?"

"No, that's Franky."

"Oh. Huh, I thought it was like his gang name or something, since he's got on all those chains and leather. Although… Franky sounds sort of mobster-ish."

Others not so much.

"This one is Vivi, right?" He pointed to Robin.

"No, that's Robin-chan."

"Oh… Well damn. What with the V-shirt and all-"

"WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING SHITHEAD?!"

"N-N-Nowhere?!"

Lucky for Usopp that Sanji liked him so much or he might have kicked him into the wall. Instead he just fumed as he finished filling their plates, before pushing over a stool beside Usopp at one of the cooking stations and presenting their meals grandly. "Lunch is served."

"It smells great! Can't believe you managed to make all this that quick."

"It's just Shrimp and Orzo and some banana pudding. I've made it a thousand times." Sanji said as if it wasn't a big deal while watching with intense interest as Usopp took his first bite because it actually was.

"Mmm…. Sanji this is amazing!" He'd seen it a plenty of times before, the way the people who ate his cooking would get when they truly enjoyed what he had made. But it felt about a million times better to see that satisfied smile and bright-eyed look on Usopp's face as he dug in with gusto. He even asked for seconds when he was done.

It was when the artist was licking up the last of the banana pudding from his spoon that Sanji finally asked the question that had been knocking around his head for days now. "So," He said, maintaining an air of aloofness as if it was just any other topic. "How long have you and Kuro been a couple?"

"Ummm…" Usopp scraped at the remnants in his bowl – as if there was any. "It'll be… three years this August."

Shit. Sanji tried not to wince at that and instead braved the next question, "And how'd you get together?" The scraping continued, the only voice to be heard in the sudden silence with its nosy hiss of metal against glass, and Sanji could see the way his knuckles were turning white around the spoon. "…Usopp?"

Finally Usopp sighed, holding the bowl out towards him. "You're gonna have to give me more of this if you want that story."

He stared at the other, confounded, but got him a second serving all the same. When he handed it over, Usopp just poked at it with his spoon, mumbling, "You sure you want to hear this? It's depressing."

"_Depressing?_" Sanji echoed, completely lost now. How could getting together with anyone be depressing?

The dark-skinned male frowned deeply. "Yeah. Any story that starts off with 'My parents are both dead' is pretty damn sad don't you think?" A jolt rushed through Sanji as he sat up straighter, mind derailing and leaving him fumbling for a response that never made it to his throat. "So, you still sure you want to hear it?" Usopp muttered, eyeing him critically.

He had to mentally steady himself – it wasn't as if the younger would be the only person he knew without parents. Luffy was raised by his grandfather and Chopper, Zoro and Franky had all been abandoned and adopted for one reason or another. Nami and Robin had never met their fathers and he, contrarily, had never really known his mother.

But other than Vivi, who had lost her mom a few years back, Usopp would probably be the only other person he knew that actually had to experience the loss of them both when they had been raising him. "If… If you feel up to talking about it then yes."

"I'm not going to burst into tears if that's what you're worried about." Usopp said but his smile was weak, scooping out some pudding. "Mom died when I was ten. She went to the doctor because her back was really hurting her, just thinking that it was because she was stooped over her work too often. Told you before she had an antique shop, remember? She was always bringing stuff home to fix and her worktable was a little short and well… anyways, the next day while I'm outside playing with my toys, mom comes out and brings me inside and sits me down across from her and dad at the table and they just have these serious looks on their faces. I start getting scared thinking _I'm_ in trouble and I-"

He sighed heavily, tipping the spoon with the uneaten dessert, watching it fold back into the bowl. "I think I just didn't know what to feel at first when instead mom's telling me she has pancreatic cancer and she's going to die. It just didn't make sense. Even my dad looking like he was about ready to cry didn't make sense. I was sure it was a dream. I don't even think I completely grasped it all before she was gone. It was only a few months after she found out that she passed away and it was just… I mean I cried a lot then but for the longest time it just felt so unreal too, you know?"

Usopp picked up another spoonful, this time shoving it into his mouth. Once he had swallowed, he continued, "So then it was just me and dad. There's a lot of stuff I probably didn't know because I was young and naïve, but I know it was probably hard on dad in many ways, trying to raise me and make sure we had money to live off of. He was a cop, so he worked long and random hours all the time. There were a lot of days back that I remember I didn't see much of him; sometimes for so long that I thought I had lost him too and would have to live in a train car like a hobo." He chuckled weakly. "But eventually, things worked out and we managed to make a living without mom, even if it was probably the hardest thing we ever had to do."

He ate another bite. When he spoke again his voice was even lower, more sorrowful, "And then dad died too just as suddenly as mom. I was at school when it happened and this campus sheriff came and pulled me out of class and they took me to the principal's office and again I had no idea what the hell was going on but I was pretty sure I was in some deep shit. I used to erm… graffiti a lot and the school was one of my personal canvases. Ehehe…" The student rubbed a finger under his nose with a proud grin, but the smile was short-lived. "I thought they finally found out it was me and I was going to get expelled or something. And then when I saw there was an actual _police cop_ in the room I even asked if they were going to arrest me." Usopp rested the bowl on his knee, staring down at a chip in the tile flooring below.

"But the cop turned out to be the commissioner and he kneels down next to where I'm sitting and tells me this whole story about how my dad was on an emergency call at a liquor store that was being held up and things got a little crazy and… and he ended up getting shot." He worried his lip between his teeth. "He told me… dad didn't even make it to the hospital before he was gone."

"Usopp…" Sanji whispered painfully but the younger shook his head before he could say more, taking a few deep breathes to steady himself because even though he promised not to cry he looked pretty damn close.

"S-So," He started a little shakily, but gaining strength with every word, "So there I was, eighteen and a few months away from graduating and I was all alone. Everything went to hell in a matter of weeks. My dad did his best, but we were really only scraping by for years – he had racked up a lot of debt. And I'm of legal age and the only Dellator alive… so all that debt fell onto me."

He placed a hand on the side of his head, mussing his hair. "I… I still don't know what the hell happened. I was numb from the inside out and not paying attention – next thing I know, I've let some legal official convince me to sell the house and I'm out on the streets with only Merry in her carrier and forty bucks in my pocket. I had _nothing_ else. I used my money to get a room at some motel in the ghetto and some hamburgers at McDonalds and then I just… I stayed up all night wondering what the fuck to do and, ha, it was the most hilarious thing, really!" Usopp swallowed hard, his voice raising to a slightly hysterical pitch, "I started getting so damn scared not because I was suddenly homeless and broke – but because I knew I'd have to give up Merry since I couldn't take care of her anymore and she was the last bit of family I had. I swear I wanted to lay down and just-just die!"

Usopp slowly rose his eyes to meet Sanji's, the brown orbs full of turmoil and grief. "And then the next morning after they kicked me out of the room… I don't know why I did it, but I walked all the way to the most expensive food store I could find and went inside and just ripped open a package of cat food and started pocketing it all. I guess I was going a little crazy. And that… that's how Kuro found me. He was out shopping and he spotted me going absolutely nuts as I tried to stuff cat foot down my _underwear_." He laughed a little wildly at the memory, rubbing the corner of his eye. "We hardly knew each other honestly. He was two years above me and a friend of a friend so we had talked only about a dozen times maybe. But he still… he stopped and he asked me if I was alright and I just… I lost it. I just fell to the floor and cried my heart out and told him everything that had happened and that now I was going to lose the last thing I loved because the world hated me so damn much."

He smiled then, the line of his lips a little wavy as he held back more tears. "And Kuro he just… he picks me up off the floor, grabs another bag of cat food and pays for it plus the stuff I stole and probably even _more_ for all the trouble. And then he takes me to his home and tells me everything was going to be fine. And he was right." Usopp looked away, wringing his hands together. "I was able to finish high school and then he even moved up here with me so I could go to college here. He was so sweet about it, saying he'd take me anywhere I wanted to go. Us being a couple started right after the move; one minute we were talking, the next he's kissing me and telling me how much I mean to him and they were just the most wonderful words…" A small but tender smile was on his face now as he stared off into space dreamily. "I already owe him everything, owe him more than I feel like I could ever possibly pay back, and here he is, offering even more to me."

Usopp shook his head suddenly, snapping out of his trance and smiling embarrassedly at him. "And that's how it happened."

And Sanji, who felt like his heart had been diced up, salted, cooked and then salted again, could only respond with a weak, "That's amazing…" And he knew not even one syllable was sincere.

Somehow, Usopp didn't take notice of his pathetic response, just turned back to his pudding and eating it with more fervor. "Yeah. I mean my life has hit a lot of rough spots, but the way it's turned out now, I have nothing to complain about, right?" And then, Usopp shot him a look that was so odd. There was nothing in the smile or the muscles of his face that tipped him off; it was in his eyes.

For just that half-second he thought he saw Usopp pleading for him to tell him different.

It was gone in a flash though, leaving Sanji pretty sure he imagined it in his delirious pain of defeat and loss and broken heartedness. So all he said in return was a soft, "Right."

His smile widened as he finished up his bowl, eyes scouring the room, and then said, "Wow it's late. I'd better get going." His words prompted Sanji to look at the clock, seeing that he was right; Usopp only had ten minutes to get to his class. The artist started to stand, then looked down at the table and stopped. "Wait, no. How rude; you cook for me and I'm just running off. I should do the dishes."

"No, I can take care of that." Sanji offered dully. "It takes a minute."

"No it doesn't, with all those dishes it takes at least ten! Come on, we'll do them together and it'll be quicker." Usopp argued, starting to pick up some of the dishes.

"It's not a big deal Usopp, all I need to do is put them in the dishwasher. You can get going."

But the longnose was persistent as he stacked the dishes. "A dishwasher takes even longer though!"

"No, no. Not this one." Sanji said, pointing towards the commercial dishwasher. It wasn't like a washer that people had a home; this beast of an appliance was the shape of a fridge and could almost be mistaken for one when the top was closed if it wasn't half the size. And unlike home dishwashers that were opened by a swing-down door, this one was opened by pulling at the large bar handle in front that was similar in shape to a lap bar on a rollercoaster.

Pulling up the bar lifted up the top half of the washer, and if it were actually an old-styled refrigerator, it would be like lifting up the freezer and having it hover over the rest of the fridge. Except the 'freezer' had a hollowed out bottom. All a restaurant worker would need to do would be to place any used tableware on a dish rack underneath that empty area and then pull the top down. The washer did the rest. "It takes a minute. Really."

He wasn't sure what it was about what he said, but Usopp had stopped moving completely, staring at the machine in question with wide eyes. "You're kidding."

"No." Sanji said, heaving himself up, "So you can-"

"Show me."

"What?"

Usopp turned to him, excited. "Sanji, show me. Please!"

"It's… just a dishwasher." But he obliged, even if it didn't make sense to him, rinsing the dirty dishes down and then loading them onto a rack and pushing it under the dishwasher, before pulling the handle down so it fell over the dishes. The machine hummed as it came to life, speed cleaning the plates and pans within. And in exactly sixty seconds, the top popped back up, everything as clean as before it had ever been used.

"Whoa." Usopp breathed, looking like he had just found nirvana as a wide smile spread across his lips. He shoved the rack aside waving his hands to try and air out the steam before bending over the counter and twisting his head to look up inside the machine. "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen!" He started running his hands over, well, _everything_. Sanji got a little worried when he stuck his hand up inside of it though, irrationally thinking he'd cut off his hand or something. "Oh man what I wouldn't _give _to tear this thing apart and see what it looks like inside!"

Sanji wasn't sure how, but the other's enthusiasm managed to cleave through his depression and have his heart fill with warmth again. A chuckle bubbled past his lips, "What are you classes tomorrow?"

Distracted, Usopp took a few moments to find the words, "Uhhh….Calculus at ummm…. ten-thirty to twelve-thirty and then err…. History at one-twenty to three. Why, you wanna feed me again?"

"No, I have morning shift tomorrow. Meet me at Diable Jambe after class. I get off at three."

"Aaaah, I like the way you say it. That French accent sure comes in handy." Those words made happiness coil through him. "But why?"

"It's a surprise." Sanji grinned and before the other could even think to pry for more info, he added, "You better get going, you have like two minutes to get to class."

Usopp's eyes bulged. "WHAT?!" He jerked his head around to stare at the wall clock. "Oh shit! Okay, tomorrow! I'll see you then!" He snatched up his bag and went charging out the door, hazarding a wave back to him. It was the last image Sanji had of him that day; the door slowly closing while Usopp entered the crowded hall only to pause and turn, waving goodbye to him with a smile as large as the sea.


	8. Day 8

Okay, okay, this chapter is even later then the last! Ha-ah... oops, sorry about that. It slipped my mind because I became consumed by a a video game. But, I want to say thanks for all these wonderful reviews I've been getting lately! Here's chapter eight for you all!

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_Day 8, Tuesday_

"Hey Usopp! Down here!"

Sanji watched with a smile as the long-nosed student froze on the sidewalk in confusion, looking around before finally spotting him. He stepped off the street, eyeing the walls around him uneasily as if he expected something to jump out and attack him. "What are you doing here?" He asked once he'd stopped in front of the blonde.

Sanji raised his hand to show what he held in it. "Smoking."

"In an alley?!" He cried.

"I always come out here to smoke." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Usopp sighed giving him an almost scolding look that wasn't nearly as fierce as it was adorable. "That habit of yours is going to kill you in more ways than one. It's really not doing you any favors you know."

"Ladies think smoking is very sophisticated." Sanji refuted, "Especially when the guy can do this." He took a drag and turned his head, blowing out what appeared to be a smoke ring. But as it twisted in the air, it took a different shape, two bends of the circle turning downwards and transforming the ring into a heart.

"W-Whoa that was-!" Usopp started to say, turning awed eyes towards him – but maybe because of the triumphant smile on his face, the younger quickly changed his tune by turning away, clearing his throat. "I-I mean, I guess it's cool."

He didn't answer, just blew out another few coils of smoke that turned into hearts.

"Really, really cool- didn't you have somewhere to take me?!" Sanji chuckled and nodded, putting out the cigarette and leading Usopp back out onto the sidewalk. But he was surprised when the artist persisted, "So, why did you learn to make heart rings anyways?" He added cheekily, "Or should I say rather, who were you trying to impress?"

Wondering just how intuitive the other was, Sanji stuffed his hands into his pockets, heading towards the nearest crosswalk. "Nami-swan." His lips upturned in a smile at the memory. "Back in high school I crushed on her pretty hard and I decided I was going to ask her out. But I wanted to do something romantic, you know? And I had heard from the cooks from my dad's restaurant who, well, smoked a lot that you could make heart rings so I thought that was perfect and started trying to figure out how to do it." He grimaced at a particularly unpleasant memory. "One time I smoked until I was sick and had my head in the toilet for the rest of the night. Eventually I got it though. And yet…"

The walk light came on and they started crossing, Usopp supplying for him, "She turned you down."

"Yeah. Said she didn't feel the same and didn't want to ruin our friendship. I was pretty heartbroken." Once they made it across, he started heading down Whiskey Avenue, towards the south side of town. "But she was probably right anyways."

"Oh?"

"We got pretty close after I got over my crush and now she's the first person I tend to confide stuff too – if she hasn't already guessed it herself. Nami-san was the first person I told about being bi." Sanji admitted.

Usopp rubbed his arm some, looking nervous as he asked, "Ah, and… how did that go for you? I-I mean, if you want to tell me that is."

He reached out, almost stopping when the other flinched, but decided not to worry about it as he shoved his shoulder gently. "Cut that timid shit out already. I'm not going to fillet you for wanting to get to know me, idiot." He answered once the long-nosed visibly relaxed some. "And it went fine. Well… after I stopped be a retard about it I guess."

It was probably the most inane time to notice just how wonderfully long the other's eyelashes were as he blinked curiously at him. "What do you mean?"

"Heh… I kind of, maybe, uh… acted like my world was ending. Not that it was entirely my fault!" He hurriedly defended. "I mean, the only gay guys I even knew about in school were the real flamboyant ones. You know, the ones who wore make-up and talked in really high voices and shaved their legs and stuff. Some of them even wore girl clothes! What would you of done if you thought that was your future?"

Usopp started to laugh. "Oh I get it. So you thought… you thought being gay meant you had to be a _drag queen?_"

"S-Shut up! I told you I was being stupid about it!" Sanji could feel the warmth on his cheeks, looking away irritably as he fingered the lighter in his pocket.

The younger shot him a teasing grin. "So Nami was the one to tell you it doesn't change who you are."

"Yeah. She was. Nami darling is magnificently blunt. She was also the one to encourage me into telling the rest of our friends and my dad too."

"What about-" Usopp started to ask then bit his lip and said instead, "I mean, uh, how did you figure it out?"

He gave the other a pointed look for a few moments, but the other just avoided his eyes so he said, "I started getting weird feelings for one of Luffy's friends. He was kind of dorky and pretty shy but he had a really cute smile and before I knew it, I started having all these… rather perverted thoughts about him. After that I started noticing a lot of other guys too and well that was pretty much that."

"Ah, I see." He nodded and there was a slight lull in their conversation that Sanji let last until they turned onto the next street.

"And my mother died when I was four."

Brown eyes went wide and Usopp's jaw practically hit the sidewalk as he looked towards him in complete shock.

"Well, you wanted to know didn't you?" He said casually.

"What? No! I-I didn't – I mean you didn't have to-" The darker male nearly tripped on his own feet.

He sighed, drawing out his pack of cigarettes, continuing on calmly as if the other wasn't even speaking. Not that it mattered since his next words quieted him instantly. "She died in labor. They found out when my mom dilated that my sister was turned around inside of her and couldn't be naturally birthed so mom needed to deliver right away, but she ended up hemorrhaging during the C-section and they lost her."

"Do you remember anything about her?" Usopp whispered softly, idly twisting at the metal pierced in his ear. Sanji noted it was an interesting little bull's-eye mark today instead of the typical silver hoop.

"Not really." The lighter clicked and flared, Sanji breathing deeply on the first drag. "Just a few little things like how she only wore her pearl necklace on special occasions and after she took a shower she'd always smell like lavender." He rolled the cigarette on his fingers, watching the smoke twist. "And this one memory when she must have been really far along because I remember how big her belly was. I was sitting on the floor while she was sitting in her favorite chair and I still remember what she said to me: 'Now Sanji, since you're going to have a sister, you can't play with her like you do with boys. Girls are delicate and beautiful, just like butterfly wings.'"

"Butterfly wings?" Usopp asked in befuddlement.

"Mmmhmm." He nodded, clarifying, "We used to go to the park all the time and there would always be a lot of butterflies there but I was taught never to chase them or try to capture them. When I asked why, I sort of remember mom telling me I could hurt their wings and make it so they couldn't fly anymore and then the butterfly would die."

"Oh... So that's why you're so chivalrous." The younger murmured softly, before rubbing at the back of his neck, looking like he expected more bad news when he inquired further, "And… your sister?"

Sanji chuckled. "Kaya is living down east studying medicine. She wants to be a doctor." He flicked off some ashes and added, "You should meet her someday; then you two can tag team me with ways to stop my smoking."

"Well, if it's for a good cause…" Usopp said with a teasing grin growing on his face before the both of them laughed.

Their conversation wheedled down to less serious topics, making the normally dull and long twenty-minute trek much more enjoyable, even if it all ended up being about Sanji. Not that he minded sharing little tidbits about his life with the other – especially considering how much he had pried into the other's life.

So he told him about how France was like, dispelling a lot of the common myths about the country most of the world believed – like how French people did indeed take showers and shave and no, sadly the women were not all topless at the beach. He also told him how he moved to here when he was seven and how Luffy had spent the better part of a week following after him on the playground, trying to get him to be his friend (because, Sanji explained, he thought his eyebrows were 'too cool').

By the time he was finishing up telling the other about his first big cooking disaster, they had arrived at their destination. "-And batter went everywhere! The cabinets, between the burner grates on the stove, the ceiling – _every_where."

The artist was laughing, arms crossed over his midsection. "Oh man, how mad was your dad?"

"Tch, shitty old man was going to ground me but then he decided cleaning up my mess was a better idea. It took hours." He wrinkled his nose some in distaste while the other continued to giggle at him. He opened his mouth, about to remind the other he had been only ten, when he noticed the gleam of a metal tower at the end of the street. "Oh, we're almost there."

"We are? Where? There's nothing out here." The other said looking around with renewed interested. But they had left the city somewhat behind them and now there was nothing but a slightly grassy field on either side of them. And what was up ahead of course. So Sanji pointed at it and Usopp looked, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "The scrap yard?"

"Yeah. There's someone I want you to meet."

It took him almost five feet to realize Usopp had stopped walking beside him. He paused and glanced around, seeing the other just standing there, playing with his earring again and looking nervous. "What? Don't tell me you're afraid of meeting people now too."

"I- well…" He seemed to want to say something, but then he stood up a little straighter, puffing out his chest some. "Of course not! I just needed to retie my shoes."

"You're wearing boots." Sanji said plainly.

Despite what he said though, Usopp still bent over to mess with the tops of his shoes, the whole thing looking ridiculous. "Yeah well I understand why you would say that. They're very special boots. They come with chameleon laces." Chameleon laces, _really?_ "They blend in so well they're practically invisible!"

The curly-haired man pulled one last time on his invisible knot then came marching down the trail and right past him, as if what he had done was completely normal. "Yosh I'm ready! Let's meet this friend of yours!"

Too busy wondering just what the hell _that_ had been, this time it took Sanji almost five feet to remember to move and carry himself after Usopp he'd have to lift his legs.

_Maybe he's a stress liar? _He thought as he looked the other over peculiarly, seeing how his chest was still puffed out with false bravado since he could also detect the slight shake in his knees that gave away the ruse. He already picked up from his reluctance to accept his phone number and friendship qualms that Usopp had some major self-esteem issues. But this was definitely the first time he'd seen him try to play it off as nothing.

It had already been eight days and it felt like Sanji still didn't know him at all.

Unsure what to do he decided not to comment on it and merely said, "Good, because Franky can't wait to meet you."

* * *

_**Bzzzt.**_

Sanji had to face it: between lovely Nami-san, who had every right to open her mouth to utter any secret that came to mind as long as it spread her beautiful voice even further across the land, and that shitty straw hat, who when not stuffing his unusually stretchable cheeks to full capacity with meat was flapping his gums with inane chatter, there really was no keeping secrets for long among his friends. So _everyone_ knew about Usopp and his own personal feelings for the already taken male and how he wanted to try the whole 'just being friends' gig.

Thankfully, all of his friends were supportive in their own ways to this honestly crazy arrangement. Vivi-chan and Nami-san were always willing to offer little nudges of encouragement when he was feeling conflicted. Luffy was constantly prodding and begging to meet this new love interest (probably for selfish getting-into-the-fridge reasons); in contrast, Robin-chan was a gloriously silent and patient presence with a stunning smile for him whenever it was needed. Brook and him shared an increasingly strange text conversation that ended with the rock star trying to encourage him into finding out Usopp's favorite brand of underwear. Even the shitty Marimo didn't bother to hassle him at all about it in their near daily quarrels.

_**Bzzzt.**_

As for Franky, the man was best known for his fairly fraternal qualities, always eager to make a new 'bro'. But the minute he found out the kid also had a similar fondness for building and fixing things well… 'Can't wait to meet you' was probably an understatement for the large-framed man's newfound feelings if the spine-crushing bear hug the younger received had anything to say about it. Sanji swore Usopp could be a serial killer that turned children into mittens and the minute the words 'mechanic fanatic' were uttered, Franky would immediately forget all debaucheries and welcome his new follower like Satan welcomed atheists.

It was that similarity though that had sparked the idea in Sanji's head to arrange the meeting. He nearly immediately regretted it because at first all Usopp could do was shuffle about timidly and barely speak, voice nothing more than a quivering squeak. But Franky was hardly deterred, prattling the younger's ear off about knobs and tubes and cleats and looms and other things until Sanji felt entirely lost.

_**Bzzzt.**_

But it had an extraordinary effect on Usopp. His wide-eyed terror slowly turned into wide-eyed wonder and admiration and, just like that day at the park, he watched the other man come alive with excitement and enthusiasm. And then _he_ was talking fixtures and boxes and tie wires and bushings and other things until Sanji was even more lost. But none of that mattered as long as he got to see the way those brown eyes lit up at each new contraption Franky had built or how he smiled as he was shown how they worked or even hearing the delighted squeal he let out when offered to help with one of the works-in-progress.

And so there they were, Franky and Usopp, together a few feet away at the workbench with gears and tools spread around them, and Sanji sitting on some tossed aside tire, smoking, while bad American musical film songs played on the battery-powered stereo set aside in the corner. All of them were chugging cold bottles of cola and laughing and sharing jokes and stories. And Usopp had smears of WD-40 on his nose and cheek and a band-aid around his finger where he had laughed off the skin he accidentally pinched away in the curve of some pliers and his bandana had come somewhat loose, leaving his hair a bit frazzled around his face.

_Damn_ did he look beautiful.

_**Bzzzt.**_

Sanji really didn't want it to end.

_**Bzzzt.**_

But he knew if he kept ignoring the annoying buzzing of Usopp's phone vibrating along the surface of some broken plywood that was no doubt the sound of a certain unwanted boyfriend looking for his missing better half, he'd probably get his ass burned for it later.

"Hey, Usopp?" Sanji called, cutting into the two's terrible rendition of "Greased Lightnin'". "Your phone keeps going off."

The other practically dropped everything in his hands as he leapt across the workshop in one bound. "What?!"

"Yeah it's gone off like five-" _**Bzzzt.**_ "Six times."

"Why didn't you tell me!"

To avoid giving the obvious 'Because-I'm-a-jealous-son-of-a-bitch' answer, Sanji took a long drag from his cigarette and just shrugged. Luckily Usopp wasn't paying attention anyways because the top flap was already open, busily reading the texts. And with each one he scrolled through, the grasp he had on the little device grew increasingly tighter until his knuckles were practically white.

"I…I got to go." Usopp said at last, shoving the phone into his front pocket and turning away from them to stare at his reflection in a piece of sheet metal, swiping back his messy hair and retying the checkered cloth with practiced ease.

"What, now?" Franky asked unhappily. "What about all of our suuuper work?"

The younger nodded, shifting on his feet agitatedly. "Sorry, Kuro's uhh… a little ticked off. We had plans today and it totally slipped my mind." Sanji took another drag from his cigarette, this time to hide a smug smile.

"Ow! Let me give you a lift then." Franky offered, flipping down his triangular sunglasses to let them rest over his eyes.

"No, no uh!" A hand pressed over the pocket that was buzzing once again, biting on his lower lip. "I mean thanks for the offer but uh he'll cool down better this way is all."

A blue eyebrow arched but the taller nodded. "You know him best. But I'm leaving all this," He waved at the incomplete contraption, "untouched. So you better come back to help me finish it soon longnose-bro!"

The grin Usopp gave at that moment was comparable to Luffy's when they went to that all-meat buffet he loved. "Yeah, you got it! It was great meeting you. This was really awesome."

Sanji twisted his cigarette in the rusty jar lid he had been using as an ashtray before unfolding his legs and getting to his feet. "I'll walk you back then."

"Oh-"

"Actually curly, I got a favor I need to be asking for." Franky interrupted. "I think something in my fridge has gone super bad."

Sometimes, he swore his friends thought he was their housemaid as he grumbled under his breath. "Probably the milk. Again." He looked up at Usopp who was snickering away at that. "You know the way back?"

"Yeah, I got it. I'll see you 'round!" The other said before hurrying out the door with a backwards wave.

He watched him from the dirt-dusted window, sighing as the other sprinted out of the scrapyard and out of sight, before turning around to head to the kitchen only to pause when he noticed Franky hadn't moved. Instead, he was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his bare chest, sunglasses pushed back up along his head so he could level him with a serious stare. Something uneasy stirred in Sanji's gut as he snapped, "What?"

"I saw that smirk bro."

He frowned, busying himself with pulling out another cigarette. It wasn't until he had it lit and sucked in the first drag that he finally spoke; though, for all the time he had allowed himself, the only response he had was an extremely immature: "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Saw the way you glanced at his phone too."

"So?" Sanji fumed, heading back to his tire seat. "It's not my responsibility to tell him."

The architect major frowned tightly. "It is when your reason is to cause some unsuper things to happen as a result."

He rolled his shoulders uncaringly as an answer, trying to ignore the barbell weighing down his lungs and meshing his intestines together. His voice sounded weak to his ears. "You're making it seem like I had this grand master scheme. I didn't know about the date."

The chair scraped as Franky pushed it back, crossing the room. "Since I've known you Sanji you've always been a super kind of guy. A real good guy. You've never been the type to play dirty. But if you keep acting like this, you'll start toeing that line." A hand clapped down on his shoulder. "And you'll not only hurt someone you really care about but you also won't like the look of yourself either."

The barbell had turned into an anchor and he couldn't find the air to breathe let alone speak. The silence didn't last long before Sanji almost toppled out of his seat when Franky slapped him on the back and said, "Now come on. You still need to check out my fridge."


	9. Day 9

Hey I managed to get this one out in a relatively reasonable amount of time.

Unfortunately, to reiterate from my tumblr, there is a bit of bad news to go along with this update! And that is, well, up until now the chapters I've been updating with were all pre-written (or being written as chapters were updating). And well... I've run out of those! So expect updates to happen much more irregularly and unpredictably. I thank you for you patience though and I hope you guys stick with me to the end, whenever that might be!

* * *

_Day 9, Wednesday_

Sanji was restless that night.

Franky's troubling words combined with some nasty dreams that left him jumping into wakefulness made sleep impossible. By the time he had given up altogether and rolled out of bed it was 6 A.M. and he was in a terrible mood. And while he could have spent the time doing some neglected work for his three online classes or start breakfast for the two idiots who would be stalking the halls within the hour whining for food, he just _had_ to blow off some steam. So, he found himself changing into his A-shirt and sweats and walking the six blocks to the gym so he could kick the shit out of a punching bag.

It was around the time when he had moved on to the floor mats and was tossing round house kicks through the air that Luffy flopped down on the sidelines to watch, chomping loudly on an apple (he must of brought several along for one of them to have survived the trek here). The core was long ago tossed before Sanji finally quit, snatching up his water bottle and falling down beside the other on the wooden floor. He leant back against the wall and stretched his legs out until his toes touched the nearest mat.

"How'd you know I was here?" He inquired once he'd downed a third mouthful of water.

The younger shrugged, adjusting his hat. "Where else would you be?"

He crossed his legs at the ankles, feeling the nice ache that pulsed through the muscles. It had been awhile since he had found time to come down here. "Considering the constant shitty state of our food supply, I could have gone to the store."

"Not when you're mad. That's when you want to beat stuff up." Luffy replied easily, looking towards him and even though he didn't say anything more, the way he turned his lips down in concern asked the question for him. _You okay?_

He sighed, turning the spiky plastic part always left on the neck of the bottle once the cap was twisted off, mumbling, "Yeah well I'm shit out of luck since I can't really beat myself up." His friend tilted his head curiously at that, just waiting. Sanji rotated his wrist, watching the water slosh around inside. "Yesterday I did something pretty stupid and Usopp probably got into a fight with his boyfriend as a result. It wasn't like me. Shit, I don't even know what possessed me to do it! Vivi-chan already warned me to back off if I couldn't handle my feelings for the guy and I _thought_ I could but maybe this is a sign I'm in way over my head. But no matter how reasonable I make the argument, when I think about backing off every part of me just shouts 'No'."

"But that's not your fault. Usopp's a dangling piece of meat. You can't help but want to eat him."

…_What?!_

Wondering if his friend even realized the sexual context of that entire statement, Sanji just speechlessly flapped his mouth, a sudden heat coming onto his face. Luckily, Luffy was willing to elaborate. "It'd be like if you made an entire ham but then said I could only have a small piece of it because the rest has to go to someone else. But even if it's the right thing to do, it'd be hard to listen to you because I'd want the whole thing."

"Okay," He nodded, starting to understand what his friend meant. "Then what would you do?"

"Hmmm…" The dark-haired male crossed his arms, eyes shutting as he thought hard. "Well… I'd try to steal it." Had he been less worn out he would have kicked the other; although, had he really been expecting anything else?

Which was probably why he was a little shocked when Luffy continued, "But, I wouldn't eat it, no matter how hungry I was because if you told me not to, then there has to be someone who's even MORE hungry than me! So, I'd feel all crummy and give it back and say I was sorry. And you'd probably forgive me, because no one got really hurt and you know I don't always think before I act."

Sanji snorted. "More like never. You'd do it again too."

"Yeah I would." He agreed with a wide grin. "But you're better at learning stuff then I am."

He chuckled, twisting back on the bottle cap before getting to his feet. "Come on, if we head back now I'll still have time to make breakfast."

"Yosh! I want ham!" Luffy declared as he jumped to his feet.

"No chance in hell you shitty vacuum!"

* * *

Sanji sent a text to Usopp just a few minutes before class started. 'Hey, let's have lunch again, same place as the other day.'

His heart jumped a bit when his phone went off only a few moments later and he eagerly read the reply.

'I can't.'

It wasn't exactly what he was hoping for.

'Are you sure?' He wrote back. 'Because I need to talk to you.'

'About what?'

He paused at that, fingers drumming along the plastic back of his cell. Just as he was mulling over every possible answer that wouldn't corner him into spilling his heart out into dozens of 150-character limited texts and possibly some disjointed emoticons, the mobile buzzed again.

'Actually, just promise me dessert and I'll come.'

The tension in his shoulders eased. 'Deal. See you then.'

By the time class had ended and half the cheese was already shredded for the chicken quesadillas, he was still mulling over the words he wanted to say. "'I was going to tell you sooner but' – no, shit. That sounds retarded." His voice died out the instant he heard the click of the door being pulled open, peering across the room to see Usopp come in.

He nearly scraped his fingers off when the jolt that rushed through him caused him to drop the cheese mid-grate. "Oi! What the hell happened to you?"

Brown eyes peered at him over his long-nose that was currently twice the size it normally was and wrapped tightly in a white bandage. His smile was a bit crooked due to a small, cherry-shaped bruise that filled the space between his left nostril and upper lip. "I guess there's no use hiding it from you anymore Sanji. The truth is I live a double life, protecting the innocent from evil, righting all the wrongs done to our fellow citizens. That's right, I'm-" He spread his legs in a power stance, placed one hand on his hip and pointed his finger up towards the ceiling. "Sogeking the Great!"

"Wha-?" Sanji stared at the ridiculous pose before him, unsure how to respond to that.

"Not even a chuckle? Damn, I got to work on my material." Usopp said, laughing humbly as he crossed the room, dropping his messenger bag on the floor and plopping down in the stool across from him. "Guess I have to amaze you with The Tales of Clumsy Usopp instead." He sarcastically jibed, waving the flat of his hand through the air as if brandishing the title to a movie that was sure to tank at the box office. This close, Sanji could spot some scrapes running vertically across his forehead. They weren't deep but still looked pretty tender and fresh. "The truth is I fell."

"You fell?" He repeated.

"Mmmhmm. It was dumb." The chemist major grumbled, resting his chin in his hand and letting his eyes wander. He reached out and pressed his fingers across the flat edge of the spatula Sanji had set behind the pan, amusing himself by making the handle springboard up as he continued, "Yesterday, on the way home, I was so busy arguing with Kuro on the phone I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings and ended up tripping over this like _giant _bump in the sidewalk. It was like three inches off ground level! How has no one fixed that, really?"

Usopp was so busy glaring at the kitchen utensil as if it could explain the failures of their city street services that he missed the shameful look that crossed Sanji's face as his guilt increased one-hundredfold. "Shit. I knew I should have gone with you."

That evoked a surprised bark of laughter. "And if you had been? Were you gonna swoop in and catch me?"

_Yes! _"No." Sanji stared down at his reflection in the handle of the metal grater, mentally shaking away delirious visions of romantically dipping Usopp in the middle of the street and, after having saved him from certain doom, the other would start spouting declarations of love for him. He really had to stop thinking like that. "But it was my fault."

The spatula clattered as the younger let it fall from its upraised position. "What, are you in charge of sidewalk repair or something?"

"Of course not but I…" He breathed out slowly, craving a cigarette as his nerves peaked. But, determined to do this, he sucked it up and finally met his friend's eyes. "I knew your phone was going off yesterday. I should have told you sooner." When the other just continued to stare uncomprehendingly, he added, "If I had, you and Kuro never would have fought. I…I'm sorry."

Usopp blinked once. Twice.

And then his shoulders shook as he _laughed at him_.

"O-Oi! What's so funny?! I'm being serious shithead, I'm really sorry!"

"For what?" He replied, shaking his head and still sniggering. "Sanji, he was already angry with me. I'm the one who forgot we had a date planned. I mean yeah, I guess he was a little ticked I didn't answer right away, but it was mostly about that and that was totally my fault. You had nothing to do with it. Well… I mean, I guess you kinda did, since you had invited me out and all, but it's not like you knew about any of the other stuff. I was the one who said yes without thinking, so don't worry about it."

"Oh…" Sanji said, feeling a little stupid now.

The dark-haired male averted his eyes, running a finger along the length of his nose, frowning gloomily. "And because our fighting unintentionally caused this, Kuro forgave me instantly. He'll do anything to take care of me, so he can't ever stay mad for long when I'm hurt."

He moved the cheese over the grater again, asking, "It's not broken is it?"

"Nah, this is all cartilage here. It's just swollen. I've done it a million times." He crossed his arms on the counter. "Heh, Mom would always tell me I had a 'nose' for danger. I practically had it wrapped up twenty four-seven when I was a kid because I was really adventurous. I loved climbing trees and chasing reptiles and whatnot. But I tell ya, sure ain't easy running after lizards through bushes when you've got this big ol' honker getting in the way all the time!"

Sanji chuckled, buttering the tortilla before tossing it in the pan to fry, layering the ingredients on top. "Kaya and I loved playing behind the bushes. At our old house, we had these hedges in the backyard that grew a few feet from the fence and no one could see us back there so it was our secret 'pretend' spot. I liked being the heroic prince and she was the kind princess. Sometimes we'd bring out her dolls and pretend they were our entire town, ravaged by a terrible sickness. So we'd have to go on this epic quest fighting dragons and goblins to find the one plant that would cure our people. It was always the same one too." He grinned wickedly. "Did I mention mushrooms grew back there?"

Usopp's face twisted in disgust. "Don't mention those evil things while you're cooking! The good food might spoil!"

He snickered but quickly obliged, talking instead about how Nami-san used to make fake maps and they would all look for treasure like pirates.

* * *

"-And Luffy's standing over this sink full of broken plates and dad storms over, his face completely red, and screams, 'How many of those plates have you broken you eggplant?!' And Luffy just looks down at this mess and says 'Oh! I forgot to count!'"

"Oh no!" Usopp applauded, practically howling with laughter. "Your dad must have been furious!"

"Let's just say, even with that prosthetic leg of his he managed to dish out quite a wallop."

The younger student polished off the last of the cinnamon apple crisp, saying once he had swallowed, "It sounded like there was never a dull moment with you guys."

"Ha, almost never." Sanji agreed, glancing at the clock. "It's almost time for your class."

"Already?" The other sighed. "Damn, I have a test too. I'm so gonna fail."

"Didn't study?"

Usopp shrugged. "Well… I was going to but I decided to come here instead." Oddly, he chuckled over that as he stacked their plates together. "Been a long time since I ditched schoolwork to just mess around. Anyways hey! Can I do the dishes this time?"

"Uh…" He shrugged. "Sure if you want."

"Awesome!" The student hopped out of the chair, walking towards the washing station practically whistling as he rinsed them down and loaded them up. Sanji was pretty sure he'd never seen anyone so happy to do such a menial task before.

"Hey… Usopp?" He asked just as he was pulling down the bar.

"Yeah?"

"What's your messenger?"

"Messenger…?" Usopp brows pinched in confusion for a moment. "Oh! You mean for online? It's Sogekingu one hundred."

"Sog… uh."

He smiled and crossed the room. "I'll write it down." He fetched his brown bag off the floor, pulling out the first notebook he could find and flipping through it. Sanji guessed it was his calculus notebook since he could see equations covering the pages, along with many little doodles in between. He only got a real good look of one that took up nearly a whole page; it seemed to be a double-tailed Siberian tiger with saber-tooth canines.

That page was soon turned over and Usopp tore off the corner edge of a blank sheet; then, after a moment, ripped it in half and slid one side towards him. "Yours too." He explained as he found a pencil, quickly writing his down before handing it to him and Sanji did likewise.

"I'm not really on too much unless I'm doing research for school." Usopp warned, closing Sanji's name in between his notes like a bookmark. "But hey it's probably better than my phone, right?" He glanced at the clock and hopped off the chair. "I better get going but I'll see you around. And thanks for lunch, it was delicious!"

"Yeah, sure. Anytime." He said casually enough.

And as Usopp departed, Sanji was left to put away the dishware and wonder if the emotion speeding up his heart and warming his entire body every time he thought of their next meeting was just simple happiness or something more.


End file.
